


Bound

by venomhwa



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Domestic, Dragon Seonghwa, Dragons, Eventual Smut, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Masturbation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pet Names, Tattoos, a little angsty, human san, korean folklore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:27:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 64,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25022371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venomhwa/pseuds/venomhwa
Summary: All his life, Choi San had lived in that Dragon Shrine.All his life, Choi San wanted to free himself from the Dragon King.And yet, he was bound.OR: San not so accidentally tattooed Seonghwa on his arm and bound their souls together.
Relationships: Choi San/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 67
Kudos: 185





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> And so a new wreck ensues!
> 
> Welcome to Dragon Seonghwa and his adventures on Earth! 
> 
> Huge disclaimer: Although I research to be somewhat accurate to Korean folklore, there are always aspects I might have adapted to fit my story so don't take my word for it. I try my best for it to stay true to folklore but I can't promise that it won't have inaccuracies. If you become interested in Korean folklore and mythology, feel free to [cc](https://curiouscat.me/lqseonghua) me or research about it online! It's super interesting so I avidly recommend it! 
> 
> Hope you like it!

Last time San had seen that statue had been so long ago he could only remember how high it stood in front of him, blocking the sun, the blinding light emanated from its bronze immobile body.  
It was a summer day, the sound of characteristic cicada songs decorated the surroundings of the temple. It was highly nostalgic, it pushed San to the past whether he wanted or not. 

All his life, Choi San had lived in that Dragon Shrine. It was believed the Choi Family descended from the Dragon King and by that, they lived and served the deity, generation after generation. Being deeply devoted to their Buddhist roots, his family nearly centered their lives around it. In the 21st Century, no one cared or relied on religion but the Choi family took it very seriously, after all, it was their whole identity. 

All his life, Choi San wanted to free himself from the Dragon King.

And yet, he was bound.

It was a cold morning, the sun hadn’t yet peeked from the horizon and the fog embraced Seoul in a thick hug. Still, rush hour was religiously bound to happen and San couldn’t afford to miss his train to Gongju. The archeology association of the university he worked in was invited to visit one of Baekje’s Historic Areas for a conference with other scholars from the field. While Baekje, one of three of the Three Kingdoms Period, wasn’t exactly his specialization, the head of the association insisted on him participating nonetheless, as it would range other topics, such as religion. 

“Just stop here, I’ll walk.” Driven with impatience, San handed the taxi driver a few crumpled bills before fleeing without receiving change. 

In ten minutes he arrived at the train station, not slowing down until he found the line where his train was soon departing from. His legs nearly walked by their own command, the thought of being late put his body into auto-pilot. It was hard to lose old habits.

“Thank you, professor, for this amazing presentation. We will take a five-minute break before the last panel of the morning.” 

April wasn’t a coincidence for the conference. Spring was the busiest season of Gongju, the mild weather was welcoming to tourists and to the major annual events of the area. That was the first time San had visited Gongju, he hadn’t had time to visit much since he left Namhae to complete his studies in Seoul, where he also settled to teach. 

So far, all the panels had been interesting but none about his area of expertise, the early stages of the Jeulmun Pottery Period. He had already given a lecture on the Quotidian of the Early Jeulmun Period the day before and today was the last of the conference. San was naturally chatty and amazing at small talk therefore attending those kinds of events alone wasn’t a problem. He knew a handful of the speakers as most were university professors, like himself, or worked in archeology centers or associations. It was in those places that he could discuss ideas and learn more with others so he really appreciated the opportunity.

“Now, Professor Choi Jongho will talk about the ‘Importance of Dragon imagery in Korean Folklore’”. 

It was in the midst of reading students’ assignments that San had the idea of tattooing a traditional Korean dragon on his upper arm. 

_«Dragons are mythical creatures that have existed for centuries in East Asia, even before the arrival of Buddhism. The outer appearance of a Korean dragon degenerates from the Chinese tradition but it’s from the Buddhism doctrine that we can understand its symbology better.»_

It was somewhat spontaneous, and San couldn’t resist since he rarely had urges.

That wasn’t his first tattoo, he had a small hibiscus flower in the area of his right inner elbow, from when he came to Seoul and the sense of freedom made a considerable part of his decisions of that period of his life. That one didn’t have much meaning aside from being the Korean national flower in addition to being beautiful. 

_«In the Indian tradition, the Nāga are spirits that resemble king cobras. There are a lot of Buddhist stories regarding these Nāga creatures as gentle beings that protected others and lived in underwater palaces as these spirits are deeply connected to water.»_

San didn’t have a clear vision of how he wanted the tattoo but after meeting with the artist that he found on social media, a design that would fill his entire shoulder area to the elbow came to life. 

“How’s this?” 

A majestic, colorful dragon swirled around thin traditional clouds across his arm, its peculiar head in traditional style resting on his shoulder. San observed the drawing pensive, reconsidering the idea for a moment but quickly locking that hesitance away. 

The dragon was going to look stunning slithering across his arm.

“Yes, perfect.” 

_«In China, they’re also connected to water but in different aspects. Dragons in ancient Chinese mythology control rain hence their importance for the population sustained by agriculture. After Buddhism arrived in China, ideas and concepts from the Nāga were adopted into the Chinese physique of the dragons we know today.»_

Choi Jongho’s panel spiked his interest in the creatures. San found himself researching about them in the meantime, even exchanging emails with the professor he met in Gongju to discuss and ask for sources, thesis, and his own research. The professor that also taught in Seoul was kind enough to give San his books and some of the scientific articles he had written about dragons. Just like San, Jongho was nothing but a curious soul.

So, yes, San had been busier. And the crude reality was that the spark for the woman he had been seeing had gone out long ago. He knew a whole lot about old pottery but nothing about fire.

_«The Koreans adopted Buddhism from the Chinese which in consequence resulted in the introduction of dragon imagery. The dragon was then part of the Imperial family’s symbolism, deeply linked to wealth and power, often depicted in the Emperor’s vests, for example. The concept of dragon morphed from a mere water deity related to agriculture to a mythical king that lived underwater, protected Korea, and had an orb that granted wishes just like the Nāga Mucalinda that is said to be Buddha’s first follower in a Buddhist story.»_

“Four claws… as specifically requested.” San smiled lightly at the tattoo artist whose real name he had discovered minutes before he traced the outline of the dragon’s beard with his trustworthy needle, Song Mingi. He was certainly a special individual, despite having a youthful face and immature mannerisms, Mingi’s body was seventy percent tattoos of all kinds, it was hard not to stare at his full sleeves.

“If I’m getting a traditional dragon, it should be Korean, right?” As patriotic as it sounded, San wasn’t that devoted to his country, more like he was devoted to its history and culture. Mingi smiled lightly, it was sweet despite the cryptic undertone. 

_«Korean dragons differ from the Chinese ones in certain physical characteristics through the number of claws, for example. There’s a theory that as you get farther from the ‘center’, which is China, the number of claws a dragon has lessens, which is evident in the depictions. Whilst a Chinese Dragon has five claws, Korean’s has four and Japanese’s three. Moreover, a Korean Dragon has a longer beard, and since the number nine is associated with prosperity, these dragons have 89 scales on their back, the number coming from the multiplication of nine by itself associated to the Yin and Yang.» ___

__

__As Mingi worked on his arm, soft tunes entrancing the mood of the room, San thought about Jongho’s words from the panel which brought back images of the shrine, his parents, the rituals, the statue. San scoffed dryly at his own despise towards the Dragon King because of his colorless childhood inside the shrine. Everywhere he looked there was the Dragon King, enclosing his vision and turning his days grimmer, crashing his life gray._ _

__“Have you researched about dragons before, Mr. Choi?”_ _

__“Not officially.”_ _

__“What do you mean by ‘officially’?”_ _

__“As part of a study or an investigation for my university. I guess you can call it self-study.”_ _

__“So, you research in your free time? Is that what everyone in the academic world do for fun?”_ _

__“Not really, but I guess I consider it fun.”_ _

__“Well, if you didn’t you wouldn’t be here right now.”_ _

__“I guess that’s true.”_ _

__In an attempt to exit a dwelling loop of the meaning of the word fun, San exhaled, taking his eyes elsewhere and concentrating on the generic music as the burning on his arm wasn’t an option either.  
Something enticing pulled him into the dragon paraphernalia and San was unable to reach the conclusion that his subconscious was playing mind tricks as he got pushed into the thing he always wanted to get rid of, the Dragon King. It was right in front of his nose, literally, now on his arm._ _

__Or perhaps it was merely the act of the Dragon King, playing San like the puppet he was. But would the Dragon do that? Wasn’t the Dragon King described as a gentle creature, glissading upon the Korean land and guarding its people?_ _

__As gentle as historiography painted the mythical spirit, San had the necessity to streak it evil. All he ever wanted as a little boy was to be a normal child like his classmates: having classes; going home and playing with siblings; running and rolling around; eating candy and going to bed with a smile on his lips. Something had to take the blame. Something had to be the reason why he left so abruptly after turning 18._ _

__

__Two weeks had passed since the last session of the tattoo. The days had been hot and San didn’t actively try to hide it. Students whispered curious questions and intriguing comments about it but no one had asked about it directly._ _

__The first thing San did after waking up was to look in the mirror and remind himself that he had a huge tattoo on his skin, that he couldn’t remove ever. San loved it, the more he gazed at it the more beautiful it looked. The artist had done an incredible job, the dragon really did seem like it could slither off his arm at any moment. Often it felt like it was close to jumping out._ _

__Most of the time it itched, which was normal, San was aware, but even with creams or compresses the itching somehow got more and more present. Which didn’t make any sense in his mind, shouldn’t the itching be slowly fading away? His other tattoo hadn’t given him much trouble._ _

__That day the itching was unbearable._ _

__San had just finished the lecture he had spent its entirety rubbing the fabric of the shirt on his arm in search of momentary relief. There was no explanation of why it bothered him so much as San followed the tattooist’s recommendations strictly._ _

__As San had gotten worried and wary, he dialed Mingi’s number on his way to his car._ _

__“Hello?”_ _

__“Hi, it’s Choi San, the guy that tattooed a dragon two weeks ago?”_ _

__“Oh, hi! How are you? I think our check-up appointment is next Thursday, right?” The sky was closing rapidly, the people that walked in his direction seemed to fasten their pace._ _

__“Yes, but the tattoo is getting itchier and itchier. At first, it was the normal prickling sensation, but right now I can’t keep my hands off it, even with the creams you recommended, it still tingles and almost burns. Should I be concerned?”_ _

__“Hmm, the effect should be wearing out but please be patient. It’s a large tattoo, normally these require more patience and healing time. I wouldn’t be concerned. If by Thursday the situation isn’t better I will recommend medication but for now, let’s try to stay away from it.”_ _

__“Okay, thank you.”_ _

__It began pouring but San had only realized when he hung up, his attention too focused on the phone call and the tattoo. Striding faster, he sighed in relief as the rain wasn’t too thick, enough to drench his clothes. When he arrived at his old car he used mainly to commute, he wiggled free from the khaki jacket, putting his bag on the passenger’s seat. Without the jacket, it was easier to scratch the tattoo so that’s what he did, unable to contain himself anymore after a long day of resisting that urge. It felt better, momentarily so, but he knew he was risking an infection._ _

__Murmuring a cuss word, he too had been holding in those throughout the day, San finally started the engine and drove home._ _

__Passing from station to station, nothing appealed enough so he chose the sound of silence. That was when he realized that day wasn’t going well. Mingi’s words worked to alleviate his worries but the itching didn’t get the message and still was present if not stronger. The silence wasn’t working when his thoughts were too loud, San ended up listening to some crappy radio segment about celebrity couples._ _

__The drive seemed to take longer than usual. Lately, every day seemed to pass excruciatingly slow._ _

__The nights had been extended and restless. The sound of his first-floor neighbors arguing, the noisy kid from the third floor, the stray dogs racing on his street, even the faint siren of the ambulances coming and passing nearby, so many things were capable of disturbing his slumber. He never had been a light sleeper, however, since some days ago, insomnia had assaulted his room every single night and no matter how many times he tossed and turned, sleep only crashed around dawn, the dragon always itching and itching and itching._ _

__San was exhausted, even more on that particular day for no particular reason. No matter what he was concentrated on, his mind went back to the dragon and as soon as it did, the itching got harsher, San could only groan in annoyance._ _

__Waking up, scratching, eating, scratching, driving, scratching, lecture, scratching, lunch, scratching, another lecture, scratching, driving home, scratching. There was no ending to that._ _

__Instead of completing his daily chores, San opted to skip cleaning to lay on his bed, in search of the sleep that persistently didn’t come._ _

__Not being able to sleep honestly frustrated San, even more than the constant itching but there was nothing he could do. Sleeping pills crossed his mind but he didn’t like to depend on them for it so he had strayed away. However, everything got too much, even with Thursday approaching._ _

__The tattoo was making him go insane. San didn’t feel human anymore, the dragon was slowly consuming his sanity._ _

__Succumbing, San searched for the sleeping pills he knew he had in his cabinet. There were too many expired boxes of products he never fully consumed, taking a mental note he had to clean that._ _

__“There we go.” Muttering absent-mindedly, San grabbed the sleeping pills without checking their expiration date. “One should be enough.” Not having the minimal patience to go to the kitchen, San pooled water from the faucet in his hands and prayed that it could allay his problems, even if just a little._ _

__Returning to the bedroom, San plopped on the bed before checking the time and placing the phone on the table. 6 P.M. was too early but if he could sleep until the day after he would take the chance._ _

__And for the first time in a while, San fell asleep soundly and undisturbed, so deep there were no dreams, only the pure blackness of the void. But the plan to sleep until the next day didn't happen._ _

__Around 3 A.M. San resurfaced from the deep slumber when an ear-splitting thunder ripped the sky open. Violent raindrops knocked persistently on San’s closed blinds, it was like the world was ending with that last summer storm shaking the earth by its core._ _

__San instantly sat up, heart too upset by the thunder to do anything other than to remain still for a few moments, regaining control of his breath. Subconsciously, his hand traveled to his tattooed shoulder._ _

__“What the fuck…” The skin was impossibly hot, San flinched upon touching it as if he had just burned himself but when he removed his fingers off the tattoo the scorching sensation halted. Maybe it was better to avoid touching it completely, San thought to himself as he fought the blinding urge to scratch it._ _

__Laying once more, he reached over the nightstand to check the time on his phone, eyes stinging at the sudden light exposure. It was too early to get ready for work, adding to the fact that San felt too awaken by the thunder and the growing itch on his arm, falling asleep was the last thing that was going to happen. His head throbbed with how loud the rain poured outside as if it would never cease and that thought distressed San even further._ _

__The sauna-like temperature inside the room glued his bangs to the forehead, San hated that muggy weather, he always felt dizzy and unwell. Turning on the AC, its silent engine was muffled by the rain, and by now San was really done with it._ _

__With an exasperated sigh, San jumped out of bed and ambled with heavy steps to the bathroom._ _

__Upon looking at his reflection, San immediately scoffed at how prominent his dark circles looked and how oily his hair was, defying gravity by sticking in every direction. He hadn’t slept that good for so long and yet he still felt like shit. Getting rid of his loose shirt, he stood still once more observing his decorated dragon. His shoulder pulsed but it was probably his imagination, he wouldn’t touch it again, afraid._ _

__“What the hell? I’m really going insane.”_ _

__Inside the bathroom he couldn’t hear the sky furiously crying outside, it set in him a short feeling of peace. It wasn’t as warm as the bedroom but San still felt light-headed and sticking all over. He wasn’t a fan of bathing at night because he had fallen asleep inside the bathtub before and that resulted in a huge cold but he trusted his insomnia that night. Discarding the remaining clothes he had on, San entered the bathtub while it filled since the water wasn’t warm, unable to contain a shiver._ _

__As the cold water hit his chest, San closed the tap with his ankle before sinking his upper half inside the crystalline water, closing his eyes and letting his body be engulfed in a chilly embrace. It cooled his head and calmed the heat always surrounding the tattoo._ _

__A few more seconds and San came back to the surface to breathe, his shoulders staying underwater where all the weird sensations were nullified. Somehow, he felt more human without that constant rawness consuming all his energy._ _

__In silence, San observed the white ceiling with almost no thoughts coursing, eyelids suddenly heaving and he didn’t battle that gelid drowsiness. But as he closed his eyes, something began slithering on his skin._ _

__Checking out for a mere second, all blood circulation cut off of his arm and it set San off in an afflictive cry, holding on to his arm as it had fallen off. But as quick as it occurred it disappeared and when San opened his eyes, his arm was still there without repercussions of that sudden caustic reaction._ _

__“What the hell?” San only could murmur, tears pooling due to the sharp pain. He adjusted his position to hug his knees, letting his head fall on them in a moment of weakness. His mind dwelled on pain, recreating it on a smaller scale. San concluded he was hallucinating, the tattoo was making him feverish and he couldn’t discern reality from illusion anymore. He reached the stage of regret._ _

__“Is that what you think we look like? My beard is- wait, where is my beard?!”_ _

__San whipped his head to the voice just outside the tub, the half of the pure reticence freezing him in the spot as a first reaction._ _

__Shock pumped inside San’s body with so much ecstatic volition that he attempted to stand, but before he could yell at the stranger and even fully rise from the tub, his foot slipped._ _

__There was no availability to assimilate any of the details of the stranger’s physique before San lost balance and crashed down, hitting his head on the corner of the tub and knocking himself out._ _

__

__“Oh, when will you wake up…”_ _

__San could barely discern a voice, it took more than a few anxious rhetorical questions until he fluttered his unfocused eyes open. He didn’t know what he expected to see but another person wasn’t on that list for sure._ _

__“You’re awake!” San hadn’t still processed how close the other was to his face, not at how a sudden person appeared in his apartment. “You hit your head pretty hard but I healed you.”_ _

__“Hm…” In a search for words, San found nothing, the crown of his head throbbing too hard for him to articulate a proper sentence._ _

__“No need to thank me, you’re my human after all. That’s the least I can do.” Having his defenses down, the stranger kept hovering over him on the bed and San didn’t mean to but he lost himself on the stranger’s face for a few brief moments._ _

__San just knew he was dreaming, no one could be that pretty, that absolutely perfect, dripping all the beauty the world could offer. No one could be that mystical, after all, the stranger didn’t exactly look human: the mighty deer-like antlers rose high, the enticing yellow spheres adorning slit pupils, those sharp canines that gave the stranger an animalistic aura. Yes, San was dreaming._ _

__“No, you’re not dreaming.”_ _

__“W-What?”_ _

__“This is real, human.” The stranger scooted closer with the black slits growing in curiosity. San turned his face away before sitting, feeling his head finally settle on the top of his neck, trying to not freak about the random appearance of that… being._ _

__San scoffed._ _

__“If this is real why is a… are those even real? What the hell?” Without thinking, San grabbed the stranger by his antlers, pulling him with strength. “Oh, they’re glued really well.” Wincing, the stranger momentarily paralyzed due to the shock of being touched with such brutality._ _

__“Insolent human!” The powerful scream reverberated inside the room. San immediately retrieved his hand and surged from the bed, fearing for his life at the sudden anger thrown at him. ”How dare you touch my mighty antlers?!” The stranger climbed the bed to leap to the other side, to which San walked backward until he hit the wall and let out a nervous yap._ _

__“I-I’m- I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me!” Even if that was a dream, pleading for his life seemed like the logical thing to do. He had read somewhere that dying in dreams resulted in your real death and San didn’t dare to try._ _

__The stranger walked closer to San without any words, just a sly smile of someone that perhaps was enjoying that little chase. San couldn’t decipher the million sentiments on the other’s face whilst the latter seemed to know everything about San. And it took him that long to realize they were both naked._ _

__“Yes, beg.” The amusement in that voice brought San’s attention back to his face, arching an offended brow. “And this is not a dream.”_ _

__“If it isn’t-” It was hard to stand up for himself when the stranger closed their distance to an uncomfortable level. San was beginning to think the stranger didn’t have a concept of personal space. “If it isn’t a dream then why the hell do you have horns on your head?!”_ _

__“What? These aren’t horns! I’m not some stupid devil!” San thought he was going insane to think the stranger’s face twisted in red anger was attractive. No, he knew he was losing his mind, he couldn’t stop looking down._ _

__“Then what the fuck are you if this is not a dream?” At that stage, even San was reddening, be it by frustration or embarrassment._ _

__“I can’t believe this.” He scoffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes and showing his canines in a contorted smile. “You’re the one that summoned me, that bound us together and now you’re feigning ignorance.”_ _

__“I didn’t do anything!”_ _

__“That tattoo.” San wanted to show a fearless stance, however, he couldn’t help but flinch when being touched on the tattooed shoulder. That brought his eyes downwards once more, noticing how the tattoo was drained of color. “We’re bound by it. You belong to me.” San felt his face heat up and it wasn’t caused by frustration for sure._ _

__“I belong to you? You’re not even real! Holy shit, I’m never taking sleeping pills again.”_ _

__“Humans are really stubborn, aren’t they?” The stranger sighed tiredly. “What do I have to do for you to accept that I’m real?”_ _

__That was the moment San’s sanity went down the drain. If that wasn’t real, he might as well seize it to make stupid decisions. And one last curious glance downwards was all it took._ _

__“Kiss me.”_ _

__The stranger widened his eyes in surprise, black slits doubling in size at the sudden invitation. If that was all San needed then it wouldn’t be a problem. However, it was a problem for San._ _

__They had been arguing for the past moments too close to each other, naked. Upon realizing one more time that last detail, San regretted his words but it was too late. When that thought ran through his head, the stranger had already grabbed him by the waist, crushing their bodies together. A lot of things popped into his mind and soon something else was about to pop, San could feel it._ _

__“Wait!” When a hand landed on the back of his head, pulling him closer and closer and closer, San unintentionally smacked his mouth and escaped from his embrace. “Fine, I believe you!”_ _

__The stranger was left in utter confusion, observing San stumbling to the wardrobe. “I didn’t even do it.”_ _

__“You don’t have to!” San grumbled as he hurriedly put on the first pair of briefs he found, later throwing another pair at the stranger. “Wear this for fuck’s sake!”_ _

__“Why would I? This doesn’t even fit around my mighty meat.” It was his fault now, of course, San would steal another glance at him._ _

__“Shut up, yours is at best average.” A loud offended gasp was heard from the other side of the room but San didn’t see his face, he was too busy putting on more clothes and hiding his furious blush.  
“I refuse to live in a prison of fabric.”_ _

__“You’re gonna need to wear clothes if you don’t want to go to prison for indecent exposure.” San almost felt afraid of turning around, unsure if he still was standing there with the briefs in his hands. He felt himself spiral out of the room at the thought of the other’s blazing body against his. San had never felt like that with anyone._ _

__“Fine. But I’m not covering anything else, it’s too hot anyway.”_ _

__To San’s relief, the man was already wearing the briefs when he turned around. San closed the wardrobe and experimentally walked to the bed, sobering up after that heated moment. There were too many unanswered questions in his head for them to be arguing about clothes._ _

__Somehow, San expected him to keep talking but the other man fell silent too. He didn’t even know his name to begin with._ _

__“My name’s Seonghwa but my people know me as the Dragon King.”_ _

__“Wha- How the hell-” At the first time San was too dazed to notice but that time it didn’t go overlooked._ _

__“I told you. We’re bound by the tattoo so I know everything about you.” Seonghwa clarified with a bored expression as if that whole explanation wasn’t needed. San’s head was about to split in two with the huge amount of unfound answers, his disinterested attitude was slightly annoying him._ _

__“And you can read my mind?”_ _

__“When I want to.”_ _

__“So why can’t I do the same?” San snapped, feeling too exposed for his own sake. It was only fair that he too could read Seonghwa’s._ _

__“What gave you the idea that you’re mighty like me?” That mocking tone was really beginning to get on his nerves but he held it in. He’d learned quickly that Seonghwa was scary when angry._ _

__Before San could protest, Seonghwa was already laying on the bed, body turned to San as if awaiting more questions._ _

__He really wasn’t liking how his body kept reacting to everything Seonghwa did. Sure, there he was, heavenly presence on his bed wearing minimal clothing, yellowish eyes glimmering eerily but the least San could do was to keep it in his pants. He wasn’t even human, he was… the Dragon King?_ _

__To that thought Seonghwa said nothing, merely flashing another arrogant grin at San._ _

__“So… Seonghwa,” The man hummed, waiting for San to continue. “When are you going… to your home?”_ _

__“Silly, I’m not going anywhere.”_ _

__“Oh, so…”_ _

__“You still haven’t realized what’s happening.” Seonghwa exhaled before adjusting the pillow he was using, treating the issue like it wasn’t causing a huge storm inside San’s head. “You summoned me by tattooing me to your body. And to top it all off, the tattoo isn’t even complete.”_ _

__“The orb.”_ _

__“Exactly, where’s my beautiful orb?”_ _

__“I-”_ _

__“Without it not only am I unable to leave but I also lose most of my powers. I can’t even assume my dragon form, I’m stuck with this... At best average.”_ _

__The room grew silent, matching the grim nuance of those words. Without the orb, it was impossible to return to Seonghwa’s heavenly realm._ _

__“But you can still read my mind?” Seonghwa nodded. “This is bullshit.”_ _

__The rain had stopped a long time ago and the sun was beginning to rise on the horizon._ _

__“As my human, you’re expected to serve me in this dire time.”_ _

__“All because of my tattoo?” San snarled, wanting to lay on his bed in hopes of catching at least a few more minutes of sleep but Seonghwa was still there and his brain wasn’t approving the idea of laying next to a stranger as beautiful as him. Besides, he wasn’t even human. Besides- What was he even thinking? “Okay, you sleep on the sofa and eat what I cook.”_ _

__“No, I’m sleeping here. I’m already too comfortable.” Seonghwa had been establishing a dominant stance all night but those words were dripping with humility, even if they sounded demanding. San huffed at his persistence. He didn’t know what time it was but there was no way he had much time left before his alarm went off._ _

__“This is my bed.” The weak argument fell on deaf ears._ _

__“And everything that belongs to you, belongs to me. So technically, this is also my bed.”_ _

__“Okay, you know what? You stay here today, but tomorrow you’re sleeping on the sofa. I’m too tired to keep arguing and I have to start getting ready for work in a few hours.” Seonghwa beamed at that. He really wasn’t planning on moving but it always felt nice when he had his way._ _

__Without any more intrusive thoughts, San turned off the light and blindly slipped inside the covers, facing away from Seonghwa and sticking to the edge of the bed._ _

__“Goodnight!”_ _

__“Goodnight…”_ _

__The AC had been running all that time, so he reached for the controller and turned it off before sighing and trying to drift off. Now that the itching was all gone, San felt like he could finally have a good night of sleep. But before he knew it he was interrupted by the alarm signaling the start of a new day._ _

__“And good morning!”_ _

__San thought he could feel his insides disintegrate._ _

__

__There wasn’t any other way for San to endure the workday without consuming an ungodly amount of caffeine. He only had one lecture that day but it was late and spending the day crammed in his office was a recipe for disaster. Even with the coffee, he still dozed off for a few blessed minutes after lunch._ _

__Aside from having no energy to be productive and prepare his lectures, his mind was often drifting to Seonghwa. He obviously wasn’t familiarized with most common human things so naturally, San worried._ _

__Clear instructions were left for Seonghwa to strictly follow in San’s absence, the main one being to not leave the house (Seonghwa insisted only San could see his supernatural appearance, but he was still skeptical). There were leftovers in the fridge that Seonghwa should eat for lunch and before San left he was taught to use the microwave, the TV, and the shower. There was no reason for anything to go wrong, besides, Seonghwa was the Dragon King. He was more than capable of handling a few hours by himself._ _

__Despite convincing himself, San still ended his lecture half an hour earlier, then regretting it. The ride home was filled with confused thoughts about why he was acting so protective towards Seonghwa.  
San knew he was naturally protective. In his friend’s circle, he was always the “mom friend”. He was always the one that didn’t sleep until all of his friends texted him they got home safely after a night out. He was always the one that remembered little details and made people feel special. From that perspective, worrying wasn’t odd. However, they had met hours ago, argued for what it seemed like hours until San left for work. There was no conne- oh, the tattoo._ _

__The sudden thought made San nearly miss a turn. What if he was under some kind of spell? Could Seonghwa even do something like that without the orb? He did treat his head last night when he tripped inside the bathtub but it was impossible to tell. San didn’t know that much about Seonghwa to be making assumptions. All he knew was what he had read in the books Jongho recommended him and they were mere speculations. What did folklore know for real? It was all just a bunch of fabricated myths and fables, there was no way to confirm anything the stories talked about._ _

__That was the moment he realized how much he drifted off his initial dilemma. What did any of that matter? Yes, the Dragon King was real just like stories said but was Seonghwa gentle? Very questionable. Wasn’t he supposed to protect Korea with his powers and live underwater? San made a mental note to ask him directly on a later occasion._ _

__As he parked his car near his flat, he subconsciously quickened his pace and nearly ran inside. He wasn’t very sure of what he was expecting to find but hopefully the microwave was still functioning, the TV in its place and the shower was still intact. That was the best-case scenario, and of course, Seonghwa was inside._ _

__Scolding himself with how much he trembled while unlocking the door, San made his way inside, kicking off his shoes before going to the living room and finding Seonghwa on the sofa, napping and still only in his underwear. He was sprawled, one of his arms hanging from the sofa, low snores leaving his mouth and San could envy him._ _

__San was sure to not make much noise as he put his bag on the table, not even aware of the chair that never left its spot. And yet, San stubbed his toe against one of the legs._ _

__“Fuck!” Immediately San let out a frustrated set of curse words as he jumped around the living room, completely forgetting that Seonghwa was there._ _

__The shrill dragging of the wooden chair against the floor combined with the loud hissing and San’s stomping was enough to startle Seonghwa awake and to set his primal instincts off. In a flash, Seonghwa rose to his feet and assumed a defensive stance without really having a clear purpose. He attempted to let one of his ferocious growls out of habit but soon realized that his vocal cords couldn’t produce such a deafening sound. What came out instead was a sound that made San freeze but out of surprise, only then realizing Seonghwa was awake._ _

__A reticence settled between them as Seonghwa tried to understand why the hell he was unable to growl like usual and San stared at his dumbfounded face with a confused frown._ _

__“You didn’t hear that.” Seonghwa slowly pronounced, tone filled with annoyance and embarrassment._ _

__“Hear what? Oh, this?” San reproduced the growl and cackled loudly to which Seonghwa pouted but stood there, silently, waiting for him to finish his hysterical fit. When San finally stopped he shrugged and continued: “No, didn’t hear anything.” By how red the other was, San couldn’t help but feel like he went too far._ _

__“If you could hear my real growl, its volume and power would deafen your weak human ears,” Seonghwa stated matter-of-factly before sitting on the sofa stiffly. San hadn’t seen anyone throw a fit in a long time and he never took them seriously._ _

__"What's next. Are you gonna tell me you'll roast me alive too?"_ _

__"Do not mock me, mortal."_ _

__“Well, did the non-mortal manage to use the microwave?” The topic made Seonghwa jump on the sofa, immediately turning his face to look at San as he walked closer, sitting next to him, still ignoring how he was mostly naked. At that point, San still didn’t know if Seonghwa was doing that to provoke him or if he really was that averse to the concept of clothing._ _

__“Actually, I did!” The excitement in his voice didn’t match in the slightest the reality, because Seonghwa was about to ramble about how he put a plate inside a microwave, closed the door, and pushed a few buttons. “And no, nothing exploded.”_ _

__“Thank god.”_ _

__“Wow, you’re relieved. You were really expecting the worst. I’ll have you know that I have never broken a plate in all my years of existence!”_ _

__“Do you even eat on plates where you live?”_ _

__The following silence was all San needed to know._ _

__“Well,” San got up to set his laptop and papers on the table. “Unfortunately I don’t have time to hear about your microwave adventure. I have work to do.”_ _

__“What? But you’re nearly collapsing from exhaustion.”_ _

__“Okay, you need to stop reading my mind.” Seonghwa wasn’t fazed by the scowling look San shot him._ _

__“And you can’t work outside of… work. How does that make any sense? You spend the whole day at work to bring home more work?” The incredulous expression which accompanied that logic trail was priceless. San really felt like he was babysitting a kid._ _

__“Seonghwa, I don’t think I can explain the concept of late-stage capitalism in one or two sentences.”_ _

__“You’re not working, that’s final.” Seonghwa huffed from the sofa, an adorable pout turning heavier with every paper he put on the table. He ended up getting up to pressure San from up close, the latter wondering if Seonghwa was aware his current body wasn’t as intimidating as a dragon body was. “Instead, you have to cook for me. I’m hungry, I need replenishment.”_ _

__“That’s almost as laborious as work!” San waved his arms exasperatedly, tilting his head at the other._ _

__“But!” San couldn’t believe he had a grown man- dragon- whatever, jumping like a little kid in front of him. “You need to eat too. If you cook not only do I get to eat but you also become sated.” Seonghwa grinned before San said anything._ _

__“I’m not cooking but we can go out and get food instead,” San said in a tone he wished he had put out more defeatedly._ _

__“Splendid! Let’s go!” Without waiting, Seonghwa dashed out of the room and San’s heart dropped at the image of Seonghwa leaving his apartment in briefs._ _

__“You need to put on some pants!”_ _

__

__When they left it was already pitch black. San didn’t expect Seonghwa to be so adamant of wearing whatever clothing he was given since he was already so averse to all of it. Not only didn’t he like to be “imprisoned”, but he also had a picky style. And after a good half an hour and two shallow threats of leaving without him, Seonghwa picked a striped navy blue and white buttoned shirt and a pair of dark wash jeans._ _

__As they walked to the Korean BBQ San used to eat at often, Seonghwa observed the still streets of the neighborhood. The sky was but a dim blanket covering the earth’s surface. He seemed interested in it as he walked with his neck craned._ _

__“You won’t be able to see any stars. There is too much light and pollution is also an issue.” San affirmed before turning in a small alley without warning but Seonghwa wasn’t distracted enough not to notice. The alley was dark but San had never felt threatened by it._ _

__“So you humans created an environment where it’s impossible to stargaze? Despicable.” Voice was full disdain as he observed the other’s bouncy overgrown hair moving with every energetic step, staying behind him until they entered in a more lit street. Seonghwa could detect every kind of smell and the scent of meat was truly distinctive. They were close._ _

__“Humans don’t have much time to stargaze if that lessens the problem.”_ _

__“Have you ever stargazed before?”_ _

__The sleepless nights of his childhood flashed through his mind. He’d always find the comfort in that glimmering night scenery from his window where the gentle rustle of the trees dancing with the wind accompanied the ravishing sky._ _

__“I see.” San clicked his tongue at the ever lack of mental privacy, quickening his steps as he saw the restaurant coming to view. “I stargaze constantly in my palace. It helps me reconnect with the universe. Maybe you should try it out again someday.”_ _

__San didn’t want to admit but that was too connected to his childhood, as cathartic as it sounds, he didn’t really feel like remembering his days at the shrine. As much as he didn’t want to think about it next to Seonghwa it was complicated to control his mind. But Seonghwa said nothing and didn’t ask any more questions after they entered the restaurant._ _

__They sat in a booth close to the door and San ordered his usual for them._ _

__“What’s this?” Seonghwa pointed to the grill._ _

__“It’s where we’re gonna grill our meat.”_ _

__The meat didn’t take long to be served and Seonghwa silently observed San taking care of it, almost as if he was witnessing an experiment. They were silent and San could only wonder if Seonghwa was listening to his thoughts. If Seonghwa was aware of them, he didn’t react. San thought he preferred it that way._ _

__“It smells delicious.” San nodded._ _

__He never was someone that spoke his mind often so it would be better if Seonghwa feigned not being aware, or at least not reacting._ _

__“Isn’t it taking too long?” His voice averted San’s attention from the sizzling of the meat, the latter shaking his head._ _

__“No, it needs time. Are you very hungry?” Surprising them both, Seonghwa whined as he slumped on his seat, eyeing the pieces of meat in a futile attempt to burn them. Until he remembered he could spit fire. Supposedly. But it was worth the shot._ _

__San was patiently flipping a few pieces when Seonghwa leaned on the table and roasted all the pieces on the grill with his fiery breath, that almost burned San’s hand in the process._ _

__“What the hell?!” San yelled and was rendered speechless by what he had just witnessed. Fire. Coming out of Seonghwa’s mouth. Just a flame escaping from a pair of lips. No one else saw the flame, instead, it was San’s shout that brought attention to them._ _

__They’re done now.” Seonghwa declared indifferently, seriously waiting for San to pick them out of the grill as if the meat hadn’t been burnt to crisp._ _

__“Okay, you eat the coal, and I’ll ask for more for myself.”_ _

__“What?! I helped you, human. You have to eat it.”_ _

__“Oh my god.” San sighed tiredly as he took the burnt meat out and substituted it with the rest of what they had ordered. “I beg you, please, don’t burn these.”_ _

__“But-”_ _

__“Seonghwa!” He didn’t mean to scream but it came out more aggressive than intended. San hadn’t raised his voice like that with him so Seonghwa was a bit startled. “You want your human to take care of you? Then leave the meat to me, okay? Wait just a little bit more.”_ _

__The table fell silent once more as Seonghwa slumped on his seat, observing the other grilling the meat and trying to understand why he suddenly felt so down. Was it hunger? It could be, but the way he was yelled at didn’t feel right either. He knew San wasn’t angry and he also knew he regretted his tone but Seonghwa still didn’t like it._ _

__San glanced at Seonghwa here and there and he kept still on his chair, it was spooking him. He decided to ignore how awkward it had become all of sudden._ _

__“Now, it’s done.” He announced with a careful voice as he put a piece on top of Seonghwa’s rice bowl. “Try it.”_ _

__With reluctance, Seonghwa reached for the meat with his hand and San slapped it before he touched it._ _

__“Use chopsticks.”_ _

__“Why? I have hands now, they’re amazing to grab things with.”_ _

__“Humans don’t eat with their hands. At least in this country. We use chopsticks.” San pointed to the untouched pair next to Seonghwa._ _

__“I’m not a human.”_ _

__“Right now, you are. Pick up the chopsticks I’ll teach you.”_ _

__“There’s no need for that!” Seonghwa grabbed the meat before San could say anything and ate it, immediately relishing on its flavor. “This is so good!”_ _

__San grunted, taking a piece for himself, giving up on the chopsticks._ _

__Until Seonghwa tried to reach for a piece on the fire and instantly backed off when he touched the blazing grill._ _

__“Are you okay?” The wincing made San grab the other’s hand to check the burn, sighing of relief when he asserted that it wasn’t serious. “Judging from your whining, I thought you really hurt yourself.”_ _

__“But it hurt!”_ _

__“It’s only red, it’s fine. Stop acting like a baby.” San really dared to ask for that when he reached for another piece of meat to put on his bowl again. Seonghwa reached for the piece, now afraid of how hot it would be._ _

__“Why didn’t you tell me that it would hurt?” San pursed his lips at how quick he was back to running his mouth after swallowing the meat._ _

__“If you used chopsticks-”_ _

__“How could you do this to me?” Seonghwa sounded genuinely upset._ _

__“I didn’t know you were-”_ _

__“You should have warned me! You belong to me, you have a moral obligation to tell me how this body works!”_ _

__“Let’s be honest here. You would not have listened to me either way.” San really didn’t like what ‘You belong to me’ caused on his stomach. He couldn’t tell what kind of feeling was that and Seonghwa repeated it too often for him to process it._ _

__“Excuse me?”_ _

__“You’re the most stubborn person I know and I barely know you.”_ _

__“I’m not stubborn!”_ _

__“You’re proving my point right now.” San deadpanned before rolling his eyes and shoving a piece in his mouth, reaching the conclusion they would be arguing all night if he didn’t do something._ _

__“Well, my point is that you belong to me so you-” Not knowing what got into him, San picked up a piece and shoved it into Seonghwa’s mouth to make him stop. Again, that phrase. Seonghwa couldn’t believe but still munched it, eyes burning holes on San as he kept eating as nothing had happened before the abrupt silence._ _

__“I missed this place, I haven’t come in a while.”_ _

__“Are you perhaps not aware of the significance of feeding for dragons?”_ _

__“Uh… no. I fed you so that I could eat in peace. Did not work.”_ _

__“Well, I’ll tell you.” Seonghwa leaned in once more with a subtle smile, eyes sparkling in sudden excitement. “When you feed a dragon, that’s a sign of wooing.”_ _

__“W-Wooing?” San dropped the rice back to the bowl in utter shock as the other rested his elbows on the table, putting his head between his palms. “That’s the last thing I had in mind.” He dismissed that as if he hadn't asked for a kiss not even 24 hours ago._ _

__Sure, Seonghwa was insanely attractive and he nearly got hard in front of him but in his defense, he was gay. And Seonghwa was millimeters away. And he was leaning on a wall. And he was gay. And they were both naked. And suddenly Seonghwa crushed their bodies together. And he was gay. So no one could blame San. Glad San figured that out._ _

__Seonghwa smirked at how fast San mouthed those words, at how San flicked his eyes elsewhere._ _

__“Are you sure? What about your request from last night?”_ _

__“Stop reading my mind!” San frowned, becoming seriously wary of it._ _

__“Silly, I didn’t even do it.”_ _

__“Oh.” Again, that silence between them. San finally ate the spoonful of rice meant for earlier in hopes of not having to continue talking whilst mentally cursing himself for setting himself up so easily._ _

__“Is this a touchy topic for humans? Dragons are really open about most of these things.” Yeah, San had already grasped._ _

__“I mean- it depends from person to person, or for example their cultural background. But I’m not… very comfortable.”_ _

__“But you just fed me.”_ _

__“I already told you it wasn’t with that intention in mind.” San couldn’t believe Seonghwa was deflating in attitude. He tried to not think much of it, Seonghwa probably just liked a lot of attention or wasn’t used to rejection. What was there to be rejected anyway?_ _

__“So you weren’t trying to court me…”_ _

__“You make it sound like you wanted it.” With a dry scoff, San pronounced those words in the most unbothered way he could at the moment, Seonghwa pursing his lips to that tone._ _

__The utter disappointment in the dragon’s voice threw San off but he couldn’t dwell on it any further as his head was beginning to pound in an agonizing rhythm that coffee wouldn’t be able to solve, so he ended the topic before Seonghwa could even reply._ _

__“The food’s getting cold.”_ _

__

__In 45 minutes or so they were back to the apartment. San wasted no time getting ready for bed and arranging the sofa to accommodate Seonghwa. The lack of protest or vocalized dissatisfaction didn’t go unnoticed by San but nothing was said._ _

__“Okay, I put an extra blanket on the table just in case you’re cold but the weather’s warm so I doubt it’s going to be needed. You know where the cupboard is, the water, the bathroom, my room if something happens. I think that’s all.” And just as silently as he had been since the end of dinner, Seonghwa slipped off his uncomfortable clothes and nestled on the sofa without even muttering a goodnight._ _

__“Sleep well.” San tried before turning off the lights and walking to his bedroom._ _

__Perhaps if San wasn’t that exhausted he’d have noticed that something wasn’t right._ _

__San hadn’t time to digest any of what had happened before instantly falling asleep as soon as he hit the bed. Not even the thought of at least brushing his teeth crossed his exhausted body._ _

__The apartment fell in a state of somnolence or at least San’s bedroom did._ _

__Seonghwa on the other hand was very much awake, unable to close his eyes and relax until drifting off._ _

__His body had run cold at the restaurant and since then, he had been shivering which was alarming. It was the middle of Summer and Seonghwa’s body ran on an average higher temperature than most because of his dragon nature. But San hadn’t noticed, not at the restaurant, not even at home. He had been in pilot mode for a while, brain activity resuming to the most basic parts._ _

__So he hadn’t noticed Seonghwa subtly slipping off and, besides, the latter didn’t want to admit what was happening._ _

__To gracefully combat his own nature, Seonghwa trapped himself inside the blankets, resembling a giant cocoon. He had spent too much time away from San and it wasn’t an hour that could restore his bond. Unfortunately, humans weren’t affected by these kinds of supernatural bonds like the non-humans were. But Seonghwa, he could be whoever he wanted but at that moment, his human body couldn’t survive without San. He didn’t want to admit but the tattoo was keeping Seonghwa alive. Without it, he would perish, and he really would if he kept playing his superior deity card._ _

__His pride and his ego were too big for Seonghwa to be truthful, and for that, he tossed and turned, shivering and trembling out of cold, bones aching and lungs striving harder for air. His body writhed with each minute that passed, the pain and numbness were the only physical things Seonghwa’s mind was focusing on._ _

__He felt cold, too cold. It felt gelid. His own blood was running stone-cold, he was afraid that it’d freeze._ _

__Grabbing the extra blanket didn’t help either, if anything it only made him more suffocated._ _

__Not even one hour had passed of that fight against his own self when he gave in._ _

__Feeling extremely dizzy, Seonghwa rose from the sofa, still enveloped by not one but two blankets, slowly teetering his way to San’s bedroom, leaning on every piece of furniture he found along the way. In the darkness of the apartment, his blurry vision fabricated a whole new frenetic set of perceptions that didn’t match with reality._ _

__Something square shattered on the floor as Seonghwa reached for a table that was a few centimeters closer than what he calculated. Not looking back or even processing the glass trap he had left on the floor with his near-blind ambulatory, he kept moving mechanically towards San, each footstep taking more and more of his last remnants of energy._ _

__Not bothering to close the door after entering, Seonghwa practically lunged for the soft safe haven, landing just inches away from San’s body. San’s body radiated all the warmth necessary to bring Seonghwa out of that numbness that threatened to encase him._ _

__No hesitation whatsoever was present in the way Seonghwa clung to San, pressing his body to the other’s back like a clam, still shivering although his frozen body melted to San’s pleasing heat._ _

__“W-what?” The extra weight on the bed startled San awake, even more, when his body was tightly wrapped in a pair of frigid trembling arms. “Seonghwa? Are you okay?”_ _

__The low temperature of his skin alarmed San. It could be hypothermia but the night was mildly warm and he was given two blankets and sheets that should actually be too warm for the current weather. There was no explanation for what Seonghwa was going through, at least, a scientific one._ _

__“Hm…” For a moment San didn’t move, eyes focusing on the nothingness of the dark room as he thought of what to do._ _

__Not having a verbal answer, San had no choice but to turn around. Seonghwa let him, then immediately trapped him again in his embrace. San could feel his cheeks burning in embarrassment but nothing was said, Seonghwa seemed too distressed and San didn’t have the heart to push him away._ _

__San was already sweating but the other’s skin still was chilly. He didn’t back away, unsure of what he was supposed to do in that kind of situation. The weight on the feet of the bed reminded him that Seonghwa brought the two blankets from the living room so he pulled away to lay them over the covers._ _

__“What’s wrong?” San tried one more time after a few minutes. Seonghwa had adjusted his position to fit his head against the other’s chest, one leg stretched between San’s. He had just stopped shivering. If he felt San’s heart drumming painfully against his face, nothing was said._ _

__That reminded San of his last relationship. It hadn’t felt that warm and Seonghwa was just returning to this normal temperature. He didn’t like that thought but he let the tiredness be the blame of it._ _

__“I’m sorry…” Those were words San was frankly surprised to hear from Seonghwa._ _

__“What are you apologizing for?” A smooth tone matched the other’s frail one. There was no reason to talk low but the moment felt too intimate. For a second, San asked himself if he was dreaming._ _

__“I shouldn’t have hidden this from you but… but…”_ _

__“You can tell me now. What is it?”_ _

__“I am weak without you.” San tried to not tense up out of reaction to those words. “If I don’t have you around, my body begins to collapse. And… you spent the whole day out, then we went out together but we still sat across each other… I hoped that would be enough but it wasn’t.”_ _

__“So you need- you need more?” Seonghwa hummed._ _

__“I wouldn’t have you on the sofa tonight if I knew.”_ _

__“I couldn’t bear to be sincere.”_ _

__“So you were on the brink of- something, because you couldn’t move past your ego? Seonghwa, we humans depend on each other. We all have weakness-”_ _

__“I am the Dragon King, I have no weaknesses!” Seonghwa raised his voice in offense, fists wrinkling the other’s shirt. But the truth was he didn’t move away._ _

__“I already told you once but I’m going to keep repeating it until you understand: right now, you’re a human.” San pulled Seonghwa off his chest to face him, even if the room was too dark and he couldn’t distinguish much. “Being this dependent on someone isn’t natural of course, we don’t perish if we don’t have contact with other humans but am I not your human? Aren’t you the one always pestering me about how I’m supposed to serve you?”_ _

__“But this is different.”_ _

__“It’s not different. If it’s hard for you to outdo that pride think of it this way: As your human, I’m supposed to serve you. Right? So this is not a weakness. This is me, simply doing my duty.”_ _

__Seonghwa didn’t move but his breath hitched. Not expecting any response, San pulled him into his previous position where Seonghwa remained stiffer than before, thinking and reflecting on those words.  
San still felt iffy about the “serving” and “belonging” shenanigan but he would deal with it later. Or maybe grow accustomed to it. _ _

__“Are you feeling better?”_ _

__The question bounced on the bedroom walls, left without an answer as Seonghwa drifted to a deep slumber, and minutes later San slipped too._ _

__

__After that little incident, Seonghwa sought to be more honest and less discordant about everything._ _

__The next day, he stayed home, despite suggesting going to work with San. The latter told him he couldn’t bring Seonghwa around and that he’d have to manage the hours alone with the promise of lots of cuddles after arriving (words that came out of Seonghwa’s mouth)._ _

__Seonghwa had woken up pretty well-rested. San left early but Seonghwa didn’t stay in, wanting to observe his morning routine, mainly how he operated around the kitchen. Like the day before, San had left lunch ready to be eaten so there was literally nothing to worry about. Except, he was trapped inside a human body, dependent on a bond and without a concrete plan on how to go back._ _

__Maybe Seonghwa had a thing or two to worry about._ _

__On the other hand, San also worried. He had been preparing his lectures with a coffee that had gone cold one hour ago by his side and a head full of questions. He’d go home earlier that day since his lectures would end in mid-afternoon. He couldn’t help but wonder if Seonghwa had talked seriously about the “lots of cuddles” he mentioned hours before. Why did that matter and why was a crawling warmness assaulting his cheeks at the thought of the night before?_ _

__No answers. For now._ _

__Still, no answers whatsoever when San arrived, and as if waiting, Seonghwa sprung from the living room and caught the other in a warm hug. San tried to ignore how his heart wrenched in excitement._ _

__“Welcome back.” That was the first time in so long that San felt truly alive. Seonghwa’s huge smile only left more questions on the side of his desk._ _

__“Hi…” San really tried to not sound dumbstruck but it was hard when Seonghwa was still clinging into him, grip on his back and eyes sparkling in enthusiasm. It was ridiculous to keep acting like that, he knew, however, all the common sense flew out of the window whenever Seonghwa touched him. And to his despair, it happened quite a lot. San had to grow used to it because Seonghwa needed that._ _

__Literally._ _

__As Seonghwa let go, San’s phone buzzed in his pocket with a new text from Mingi, warning about the check-up appointment the next day. After replying, he shoved it back into his pocket and walked further into the apartment._ _

__“Do you want to go somewhere tomorrow with me?”_ _

__“Of course!”_ _

__

__Despite all of San’s efforts, they ended up being late and stuck in traffic. He had rushed home after work to pick Seonghwa up, no more time was wasted and yet, they wouldn’t make it. San had already sent a heads up to Mingi but being late really irked him so he kept quiet, eyes on the road, ears not even picking up the basic tune of the radio. Seonghwa sat silently on the passenger’s seat looking through the window, absorbing every detail of the crowded streets they drove past. From the car a huge advertisement displayed on the side of a building for a new laptop that would be released that month was visible. It had a blue dragon swirling across the half-opened laptop._ _

__“We’re going to meet the person that did the tattoo?” Seonghwa glanced at San when they stopped in another annoying traffic light._ _

__“Yeah.”_ _

__“He must help us!” The tone of demand didn’t surprise San by now._ _

__“He’s a human like me, how could he possibly help?” San stepped on the gas as soon as the light turned green, eyes boring holes in the car in front of him. Seonghwa wanted to be the one driving but San had obviously rejected based on the Law? The dragon was still outraged._ _

__“You must be joking, no human can seal bounds. He’s done half of it now, tell him to finish his job!”_ _

__If there wasn’t a dragon trapped inside a human body next to him, he’d have scoffed and dropped the issue in an instant. Instead, it tangled San in another spiral of thoughts for the rest of the drive._ _

__San dashed to the tattoo studio as soon as they parked the car. Biting back a snarky comment, Seonghwa quickly followed behind, not risking being left alone in the middle of Seoul minutes from the sun to disappear in the skyline._ _

__“I’m so sorry, Mingi.” The studio was cool, San could only sigh in relief at the sudden drop of temperature. Although the distance from the car to the studio wasn’t significant the sun was still strong and enough to turn San into a sweaty mess. Seonghwa entered after him, eyes widening as soon as he laid eyes on Mingi. He was right._ _

__San missed the subtle smirk that played on Mingi’s lips as he eyed Seonghwa, the latter lowly hissing at him. Just like Mingi ignored that threat, Seonghwa disregarded San’s confused look thrown at him._ _

__“Traffic’s crazy at this hour.” Shrugging, Mingi strode to his office with them behind._ _

__As he closed the door, he continued smirking at Seonghwa that kept not so subtly following him with his accusatory eyes. With a hand sign, they were indicated to sit on the leather sofa as Mingi brought the desk chair and sat in front of them. Seonghwa kept still for the time being but he didn’t trust the powerful obscure aura around Mingi._ _

__“Let me see. How has the itching been?”_ _

__“The itching stopped completely two days ago.” As San undressed his shirt to show how the dragon looked, he remembered how all of the unbearing sensations stopped with Seonghwa appearing in his bathroom. When he looked at Seonghwa he was already with his eyes on him but San didn’t know why he looked that intense. For all he knew, he could be yelling at San with his eyes to ask about the bound. “But I continued to put ointment to make sure it wouldn’t return. It was very afflictive. I couldn’t even sleep with how strong it was.”_ _

__“You still have some dead skin but it will clear up. That must have been very distressing.” Mingi observed his work of art, the lack of color saturation not overlooked. Seonghwa hissed again when Mingi softly caressed the tattoo._ _

__“It was.” San deadpanned as he put on the shirt again. “I think your dismissive attitude towards this issue the other day on the phone was very unprofessional by the way.”_ _

__“He didn’t mind it because he conjectured it.” Seonghwa let his voice be heard for the first time since they had arrived, in his eyes burning a scorching yellow that made San shudder. He had perceived the truth and the temperature of the room seemed to plunge as the three men eyed each other in the new tension that quickly installed._ _

__Mingi simply smiled._ _

__A sweet smile in acknowledgment that turned into soft giggles before he rose from the chair and slowly walked to a black cabinet displaying a selection of antique tattoo guns of various models and sizes, trinkets San would label if he didn’t know better. Opening one glass door, Mingi picked one of the pens. it was severely corroded by the time, the rust even flaking on Mingi’s hands._ _

__“This is Dangun, the oldest of my tattoo pens.”_ _

__“And according to mythology, it’s also the legendary founder of Gosojeon, the first Korean Kingdom.” San added, finding the peculiarity of the name choice._ _

__Mingi had witnessed Gosojeon unify, in fact, he had seen Korean from its early times to the present and not once he had bowed down to the Dragon King. Even a hellish creature should bow to the Dragon King and yet there Mingi stood in human form, pretending. In fact, Mingi was an ancient diviner that bound souls, a demoniac practice that was very common in the lower realm. On earth, his divinations were rituals executed in hopes of communicating with the higher deities. His obscure heart still belonged to the evil though. When divination stopped being practiced, he resorted to the binding, sometimes by request, other times simply by fun. In the present, he tattooed for an earthly living, conspired for a hellish immortal "existence"._ _

__And to the evil he vowed his immortal existence._ _

__“How dare you name one of your conjuring machines the name of the founder!” The roaring cry Seonghwa let out thundered across the room and yet Mingi didn’t flinch. If anything, his whimsical smile grew a few millimeters._ _

__“Oh, but all of my pens have monarch names.” Mingi further explained, tilting his head as in a fake concern over the other’s wrath. Putting back Dangun, he picked the one on his desk. “Guess the name of the machine that bound you together.”_ _

__“Sunjong.”_ _

__“The last monarch of Korea, Emperor Yonghui.” Seonghwa pieced together, dumbfounded._ _

__“Aren’t you so full of wisdom, Dragon King?”_ _

__“I could end your putrid life right now!” San was quick to restrain Seonghwa the moment he lunged forward to physically threaten Mingi, head spinning with the avalanche of information to be assimilated. Nothing seemed real anymore._ _

__“Yes, you could. If you had your orb.” The calm tone didn’t belong to a tense dialogue like that and yet Mingi acted as if discussing designs with colleagues. Seonghwa wrung his arm until San apprehensive released it, brows furrowed at how fast his thoughts came and left._ _

__“You didn’t tattoo it on purpose so that he couldn’t defend himself.”_ _

__“No, that’s not true.” Mingi denied, averting his attention back to San, shaking his head. “I didn’t draw it because you didn’t demand it. I recall that your words upon seeing my design was ‘Yes, perfect’?”_ _

__“That’s-”_ _

__“You didn’t notice that my orb was missing?!” Seonghwa exploded at San, that widened his eyes and stepped back._ _

__“It- It was supposed to be a normal tattoo, why was there the need to be completely accurate?!” San waved his hands in exasperation, guilt quickly spreading all over his poor heart. He backed away to sit on the sofa, feeling his legs shake at the repetitive confrontation._ _

__He had fallen over the trap like a poor mouse. It was only a matter of time until he began wondering if his encounter with Jongho was coincidental or not, or if it was a product of Mingi’s mischief. Or was Jongho involved too?_ _

__Nothing made sense anymore._ _

__The world has San knew shattered in front of his figure like a cursed mirror, leaving shards everywhere._ _

__“And you specifically asked for 89 scales on my back just like my original form has!” Seonghwa walked to the sofa, standing in front of San with hands on his waist. Despite wanting San to face him, he rested the elbows on his knees, slumping pathetically as if it would take him out of that situation. It was getting too much._ _

__“Actually I was the one that designed it like that. San didn’t even remember about the orb when I showed him your design.” Mingi jumped in, regaining Seonghwa’s angered attention. The yellow of his eyes had become a dangerous orange hue, mouth twisting at the way Mingi caressed his precious Sunjong with a placid smile._ _

__“Well, what do you want, you hellish being?” Seonghwa dismissed San’s error as there were bigger problems to solve. Leaving San trembling on the sofa, Seonghwa stomped to the desk, slamming his fists on it and showing his canines in his usual animalistic tendency. “Spit it out!”_ _

__“Come forward to see.” Reluctantly, San rose from the sofa and Seonghwa went around the desk to check the small red symbol behind his ear. Seonghwa let out a shocked gasp, brows shooting to his hairline._ _

__And then, it all made sense to Seonghwa, the situation turning more acute than what he had anticipated._ _

__Binding souls of higher beings was in itself an extraordinary act, so extraordinary it worried Seonghwa from the start. It implied a great risk for everyone involved so he knew that wasn’t an accident. Mingi hadn’t risked his life without cause._ _

__“You’re-” Everything Seonghwa aimed to protect and shield was in danger._ _

__“Yes, I work for him.” San blinked in confusion but no further comments were added so he stood there in silence._ _

__“You’re going to kill me?” Seonghwa let the fear consume his voice and it alarmed San, he wasn’t the type to quickly admit defeat. This time, San grabbed his arm but in apprehension._ _

__San wasn’t sure if Seonghwa was mad at him but even if he was, they were still standing on the same side, who was responsible for what wasn’t the most important issue at that moment._ _

__“Oh no, how could I? I’m not worthy of your blood. That’s the Creator’s right.” Mingi dismissed him with a shrug, which should have calmed San’s nerves but his body still trembled in both anxiety and anger. Who was the Creator and why was Mingi interfering with such a mighty figure like the Dragon King?_ _

__Silence._ _

__Seonghwa's head was dizzy with his impotence and the dawn of the ambush he had been caught on. Theoretically, no creature that bound souls could touch the divine beings’ ones, it was a pact done usually between lower souls, it could be as a punishment or in an ultimate show of loyalty. However, it could never be possible to bound the soul of the Dragon King to a lower soul like a human. And yet, there they were._ _

__“I have to go back.” Seonghwa said in a whisper, walking in a random direction and passing his hands on his hair in frustration. The heavenly realm was in jeopardy without him to protect it._ _

__“You understand now why you’re here?” Mingi ambled to Seonghwa, throwing an arm around him before continuing talking. “The realm is ours. Finally, it belongs to the Creator!”_ _

__Seonghwa freed himself from the other in a flash, not containing a feeble roar out of instinct. San wished he was in a situation where he could mock his inability to produce an effective sound. Instead, the one laughing wasn’t San but Mingi, and exaggerating in his reaction, completely shredding Seonghwa’s confidence to pieces._ _

__“This is preposterous! I demand that you take me back right at this moment!” The more Seonghwa demanded the more it sounded like a plea and San was hating every moment of it._ _

__“You know only you can transcend realms that easily.” Mingi explained in a sweeter tone as if talking to a child and with every second San wanted nothing but to punch someone or something. Anything to make it all stop._ _

__“I don’t have my orb!” Seonghwa cried in despair. It was only then that San noticed the effervescent crimson in his eyes that always looked docile despite the never-ending banter._ _

__“That’s a pity, for sure. Seems like you’ll have to stay and enjoy the earthly life with your human here.”_ _

__“You have to do something! I rule over you, you have to obey!” Seonghwa strode closer once more, belting right in Mingi’s face for the respect he was owed._ _

__“You’re not the Creator!” That revealed to be a sensitive topic for Mingi, strangled voice, at last, matching the weight of the issue. Just as much as Seonghwa deemed to be respected, Mingi strove to serve the deity he believed in._ _

__“I rule over your so-called Creator!” Mingi’s eye color subtly shifted to a lighter tone when he felt the brisk flames expelled from Seonghwa’s nostrils hit his skin, engulfing him in a smoldering heat that could have melted it right off if he wasn’t who he was._ _

__“Take that back!” San had enough when Mingi’s eyes turned all white, something had to be done before disaster was plowed.  
“Stop screaming!”  
It wasn’t that big of a strong command coming from the only human in the room but somehow both beings turned to him, mouths hanging in bewilderment of his courage. Frankly, there was no way around it when Seonghwa had no powers to stand up for himself and San was just a poor human caught in the mythical business. Despite that, San wouldn’t bear to see Seonghwa suffer in the hands of the others for losing their temper. Mingi wasn’t planning to harm him so there was literally no reason to infuriate him out of his ever zen state._ _

__Again, a frigid silence was set. San was at his limit of frenzy and noise and a part of him was beginning to think that after all, that was a long dream. A lunatic one. Except that the heart beating in his ribcage was drumming too fast to be an impression. His mind could never recreate an expression so raw like the one Seonghwa was displaying: Hurt, defeat, and enmity were all over his contorted face.  
Seonghwa and San stayed still almost as if to not disturb that strained reticence, however, Mingi was clearly not on the same page and he recomposed his stance, walking across the room to sit cross-legged on his chair, hands on his lap in a condescending posture. _ _

__“I rendered you useless. You are now a weak creature like your human. Until you return I suggest you sit back and relax.” Before Seonghwa bombarded Mingi with all the things he would do to him (if he had hold of the orb), his mind caught the little detail of that carefully structured phrase._ _

__“My return? So I can return, you imbecile! When can I return, tell me!”_ _

__“On the next Blood Moon.”_ _

__

__

__D-687_ _


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the second chapter! At first, I was going to make longer chapters but I realized I was taking too long to update. After making a poll on twitter, I'm dividing the chapters into smaller parts in an attempt to update more regularly. Anyway, enough talking! Hope you enjoy it!

The evening had been rough so far. 

Seonghwa was too appalled to speak.

The drive home was as silent as the house after their arrival. The distressing silence seemed to cut through their fresh wounds, not creating any momentum for healing. It wasn’t time for it yet. 

As soon as they arrived, Seonghwa locked himself in the bedroom. San wasn’t sure of what he was supposed to do. The dragon needed support but his pride was an issue. Would it be a good idea to intervene in his moment of self-loath? 

And besides, San wasn’t sure if Seonghwa was blaming him still. 

Letting him be for the time being, San tried to go through his normal routine even though his life hasn’t been normal the entire week. He began cooking dinner as he swept the floor and washed the dishes, everything done with half of the focus he dispensed to the frugal activities. Despite the inattention, he managed to get some work done while the meal simmered. The house was as quiet as before Seonghwa appeared and San didn’t know if he liked that or not as he quickly grew used to the constant superior timbre of the other’s voice. Now that it wasn’t there, the house felt incomplete.

Shaking his head in disbelief, he turned off the stove, cursing himself for those thoughts.

“Seonghwa!” He tried once from the kitchen and silence replied back. Frowning, San went to the bedroom, stopping in front of the door and recurring to an uneven number of knocks. 

“Seonghwa? Dinner’s ready.”

More silence.

San returned to the kitchen, putting his laptop away and setting the table for them even though Seonghwa wouldn’t exit the room, he knew. 

The meal tasted bland. 

Everything that he recognized as real had crumbled, he didn’t blame Seonghwa for taking this gravely. His home was in havoc and there was nothing he could do until the Blood Moon rose in the sky. San couldn’t stop blaming himself for everything.

The evening progressed ever so slow. San decided to drown himself in work to avoid being consumed by his thoughts whilst Seonghwa continued his desolation confined in the room. From time to time San would look at the corridor, his peripheral vision fooling him to think the other had come. With yet another sigh, he would continue glued to his laptop, head resting on a palm and eyes disinterested.

It was nearly midnight when San stretched his limbs in a big silent yawn, immediately melting on the chair after having shut down the laptop. Again, another worried look was shot through the hallway. 

But nothing. 

San knew Seonghwa needed him to sleep and recharge but he couldn’t bring himself to go unprompted. Finding a line of excuses, he plopped on the sofa contemplating the possibility of having to stay there for the night. 

As he dreaded, his mind went through the afternoon all over again, every single detail of that fateful encounter engrained on his mind. Seonghwa’s indignant expression thrown at him, Mingi’s laid back smile gazing at his pens, the lack of words he went through in an futile attempt to stand up for Seonghwa.

_“You’re going to kill me?”_

Seonghwa’s eyes dimming with despair.

_”I have to go back.”_

The despondent arch of eyebrows.

_“I don’t have my orb!”_

The distraught line of his lips.

_”You have to do something!”_

The jumbled stuttered plea. 

“San.” 

The sudden disrupt of silence quickened his body to his feet, finding Seonghwa standing behind the sofa with a prominent frown on his face. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was a mess but it was his hazed aura that alarmed San the most, that is, if San could actually be aware of his aura. 

“Seonghwa…” In a moment of shock, the avalanche of questions threatening to leave his mouth were frozen with that singular defenseless posture. 

Are you okay? Do you need something? What is going on? Is there really nothing we can do?

“Let’s sleep.”

“You should eat something before we go to bed. You haven’t eaten in too many hours.”

Somehow, they ended in the kitchen. Seonghwa quietly ate the reheated food San had cooked hours before and the latter simply observed. He wasn’t supervising, it felt more like making sure he was there in case Seonghwa needed anything. 

He didn’t need telepathy to know Seonghwa preferred the silence. Wondering if the dragon was reading his thoughts, San began repeating the other’s name over and over in his head, almost in a physical effort to make the thoughts stronger to reach Seonghwa in case he wasn’t aware.

“That’s my name. Why are you screaming it?”

“Oh… I was just wondering if you were reading my thoughts.”

“I wasn’t but it was impossible to avoid your yelling.”

“Have you tried communicating with me?”

“Despite knowing it’s impossible, yes.”

“Try it now!”

“I don’t hear anything…”

“You will hear what I have to say someday.”

“What?”

“Thank you for the meal.”

The dark engulfed their bodies as soon as San turned off the light. Reality started to slip away like nothing ever happened and their bodies were floating in a void. It was strangely comforting, at least for San that wondered if Seonghwa felt the same. There was still a distant voice in the back of his head reminding him of everything and anything but it seemed to fade with each passing minute. 

Seonghwa knew why but San didn’t reach that as fast as he let his body melt onto Seonghwa’s on the mattress. 

“Are you awake?” San whispered experimentally, unsure of what he was trying to achieve.

“No.” To that San slapped his back lightly, letting out a theatrical sigh. Seonghwa giggled shortly before the room fell quiet once more, now aware of the slightest of the touches.

There was too much to say and too much to take in and San knew it wasn’t the right time but he couldn’t help but let escape the tiniest “I’m sorry.”. No verbal response was heard, instead, Seonghwa settled his leg over him and attempted to scoot closer even though it was practically impossible to do so. 

San didn’t need words or telepathy to understand the gesture. 

_Much wasn’t possible to discern, not even the floor was evident. Neither his feet. Static noise muffled his ears. A murky fog covered the eerie space in which San found himself standing. Squinting, he tried to spot something, anything that could show some light of where he was. But the fog proved to be challenging for his poor human eyes._

_Warm wind involved San in a dense hug before pushing him forward. He kicked his feet, wiggled and tried to scream. His body was rendered useless to the invisible force drawing him in towards a mass slowly divulging from the haze, towering over San’s modest body._

_A huge figure rose up high through the thinning fog and for the first time San could clearly see his surroundings, an infinite body of water reflecting the striking blue of the sky. San looked below in search of the floor but the water seemed to run deep and strangely the water surface was as hard as before. The figure in front of San also stood on the water, blocking the sun with its huge head. He couldn’t understand how close he was from the creature._

_Forgetting he still wasn’t free, San let his eyes wander, observing from below to its shadowed head the dragon posing just like the statues from his temple. Red scales adorned his majestic frame, the light from behind reflecting his silhouette golden. Its tail stood up, equally fire red, delicate feathers morphing to the same golden hue in its very tip, flawlessly transitioning in color. Once more San squinted to try and catch the dragon’s facial details, barely grasping its long white whiskers and beard, the teeth sharp and threatening, pupils vertical and involved in a darker red that San confused with a similar brown. A pair of antlers ripped the light, irregular and branch-like, San thought they were very much like a deer’s._

_Whilst the dragon stood still in its exalted existence, something that resembled a fireball hovered next to the dragon. From it, whirls of crimson mist radiated, San couldn’t look at it for long as it seemed to burn his vision._

_The trance didn’t last long. With the pressure seemingly tightening, San continued writhing in a futile attempt to escape. His voice still drowned out by the white noise even though he felt his vocal cords straining from how much he screamed. The crushing grip stilled when the statue suddenly propelled to the sky, flying high but circling San with its heavenly dance in the air._

_Clouds appeared from thin air so that the dragon swirled around them, as if painting its divine body on a scroll to be later told by some storyteller in the human world. San could swear its’ feathery tail left golden sparkly dust, glimmering as if stars could be seen with the sunlight._

_And then the sun transformed into a crescent moon and the clarity of the day was replaced with the obscurity of the dark. With the reflected light from the untelling moon and the orb still following the dragon around with its blazing light, San still could spot the creature gliding through the air, leaving a pathway of stars and decorating the dark night with his celestial touch._

_And then everything happened at once._

_The static noise ended, replaced immediately by the powerful roar of the flying dragon, its’ cry echoing and nearly deafening San. His ears were ringing, however, San still could detect the echo going on, grounding him in that space. He knew, even with closed eyes, that the dragon was still in his presence._

_The roar was still drumming in his ears when the dragon suddenly projected his body towards San at such mighty speed that the last thing he was able to grasp upon opening his eyes was the inside of the dragon’s mouth. Engulfing him._

_And then, darkness._

The next few days were difficult. The house was mostly silent, the banter nearly ceased and Seonghwa grew apart from San, spending the entirety of the day locked in the bedroom. He’d come out to eat with San and that was mostly it. The only time of the day when everything seemed to ease down was when they laid together but the morning always brought that looming tension.

A conversation was overdue but neither seemed brave enough to start it. The night diluted the restlessness but couldn’t solve it solely with its silence, if anything it only delayed the closure of those wounds. 

Seonghwa felt said wounds pulse and yet he chose the impotent silence to heal them.

Just like San.

That night Seonghwa stayed enough to help with the dishes, making San think that things were slowly progressing. Seeing that the pile of dirty dishes was bigger than usual, San also felt relieved for the help when Seonghwa began rinsing them. 

Everything appeared okay, San even though they would talk that evening at last. Maybe Seonghwa was thinking the same as he let the water run on his hands, washing away that fear.

There was no way of knowing for sure though, Seonghwa had been wearing that grim expression without ceasing. It made San feel invasive to even look at him. The urge to steal glances was constantly fought with.

Keeping his eyes on his side of the sink, San elbowed a dark blue mug to the floor, crashing it in an asymmetrical puzzle of dangerous ceramic. If the kitchen had been reticent, now it seemed as if all sound had halted. The world had gone mute in the stretching seconds in which they observed the mug, bodies still in a tension they didn’t dare to break.

Until Seonghwa lowered his body and grabbed a large piece of the mug, observing its inner side for a moment. 

The mug had been bought a few years ago somewhere San couldn’t name anymore, he’d use it to drink tea or milk and despite San’s clumsy tendencies, it had survived until then. Meanwhile, Seonghwa had grown accustomed to using that one in particular, every day he’d at least drink a cup of tea from it. Seeing it shattered, broken in its uselessness, was the last drop of that unnerving silence. 

San had just returned with a broom when Seonghwa snatched it from his grip, broke it in half with his knee and threw it away, nearly hitting San in the head if he hadn’t ducked. Furious eyes glowed in a dangerous crimson, advising San that he should run away from the sudden eruption. The disturbing sound of the broom hitting the floor didn't reach either of them.

The silence not only was hopeless, but it also bottled up feelings and Seonghwa’s jar overflowed with the mundane mug splitting in fragments.

“This is all your fault!” The adrenaline generated a quick fumble of words, voice gaining the same threatening undertone San had heard Seonghwa use with Mingi days ago. It hurt. 

“What?”

“You ruined everything!” Every kitchenware shook at the dragon’s fury, even the light flickered, but San couldn’t tell if that really happened or not, his mind ran a thousand kilometers per hour.

A vein in Seonghwa’s neck had become visible, his face reddened, his fists shook violently. San gulped in fear. He didn’t want to believe Seonghwa could hurt him, he really didn’t.

“Don’t worry, it wasn’t that expensive anyway. I can buy another.” San dismissed it with a cautious shrug, heart drumming in his ears. 

“That was _my_ mug!” 

“I’m sorry, Seonghwa…”

“Everything…” The fury didn’t last. “Is falling apart.”

Seonghwa fell on the floor, limp body leaning on a counter, uncontrollable sobs ripping San’s heart apart. 

Instinct made San reach for the dragon, placing a hand on his shoulder to later evolve into a back hug since most of the mug rested in front of his feet. Seonghwa didn’t let him get any closer than that attentive hand before swatting him away with a grunt and honestly, it hurt San. 

From San’s eyes escaped a regretful tear before he exited the kitchen, got his keys, put on a random pair of shoes and left the apartment. 

His limbs halted him when the door shut behind, he felt unsure if leaving Seonghwa in that state was a good idea. He really needed support but after that outburst, San was sure he was hated. 

Another tear ran down theatrically down his face before he walked away without a destination.~

It had been a while since San had ventured in a night walk around the neighborhood and it honestly felt good to dry his tears in that mild breeze that brought the day’s warmth around even though it was pitch black already. Lately every time San looked through a window he couldn’t see what was outside, his thoughts stole all of his attention creating almost a soulless puppet, completely void of purpose. And those thoughts were always the same.

Seonghwa. Seonghwa. Seonghwa. Seonghwa.

At work, he spaced out. At home, he eyed the hall every 5 minutes. At night, he kept himself awake the longest he managed in the other’s arms as if grounding himself from how high his mind reached every single day. 

It happened again. San was about to leave his neighborhood when a roaring bike passed by him and shook him off it. Walking back through other streets, he tried to focus on the flickering neon signs of the convenience stores, the windows from which a light was visible, the stray cat he nearly stepped on before it hissed and ran away, the overflowing trash and a faint song playing from somewhere.

Maybe what he needed was to cry it out. Tears weren’t the way he normally dealt with life but he noticed how there was some relief after those minuscule tears escaped. But all little San heard as he grew up was how strong men didn’t cry. It was a sign of weakness, a sign of fragility that men couldn’t show in any circumstances. San had always heard it and even so, he’d do it no matter how hard he tried to hold it in. 

Nowadays, the tears didn’t resolve anything so maybe his father would be happy to know he didn’t cry anymore. Still, his body didn’t repress those little tears. San concluded it was the other’s influence. A lot of things have been changing in him lately and the Seonghwa was the only explanation. 

But San didn’t even go there. 

He eyed the little clock turning 1AM on his phone, so he located himself and walked home, worrying his mind at how Seonghwa had been deprived from his touch for too long. Things could be turbulent but San was still Seonghwa’s human at the end of the day.

As he got home, the first thing he noticed was the light from the kitchen ceiling creating unfamiliar shadows around the rest of the house. No one was there anymore but the mug was still inevitably broken. San wanted to ignore it and check on Seonghwa but he couldn’t help but collect all pieces the best he could before facing the other. 

Two unanswered knocks echoed in the house before San opened the door and peeked inside. 

Seonghwa immediately whipped his head to the door, his face was indistinguishable due to the lack of light. 

Unsure if words could reignite the fury from hours ago, San entered the room without a word, swapping clothes in the dark before walking closer to the bed. 

So far, Seonghwa hadn’t objected to his presence.

San let his body merge with the bed, still maintaining a distance from the other. Seonghwa was facing him and he only noticed it then, how much the dragon shivered even though the room was uncomfortably warm. 

Experimentally, San let his hand graze over Seonghwa’s cold one, whose breath hitched for some reason. 

“I-I’m so cold…” Seonghwa complained, attempting to conserve his heat in fetal position, teeth clashing as he confessed in a whisper. “And you left…”

“I’m sorry.” San let himself be drawn to the other, limbs fit in their usual position, eyes open in search of something the dark wouldn’t permit. “I still don’t know what I’m supposed to do when I’m with you.” 

Another pint of regret stung his heart. He seemed to never identify what Seonghwa needed or wanted. It annoyed San because everything he had done so far was with Seonghwa in mind. And yet, he hadn’t known best. 

“Just- don’t leave.” 

The next morning, San had no option but to leave for work and nothing seemed to have changed. Seonghwa stayed in bed as San walked around getting ready and finally going out. 

He had been passively watching Seonghwa trying to get back to his feet but after last night he realized it would never happen without help. His ego wouldn't enjoy having to rely on someone else but there was no other option. Seonghwa wasn't the Dragon King in that moment, he was a mere human (with some magical quirks, let's put it that way) and humans didn't survive alone. This was only the first of many trials the Earth would put Seonghwa through. 

The day passed surprisingly quickly, striking San with the confidence to resolve their issues. As soon as his work meeting ended, he powerwalked to the car to put his plan into action. 

The sparse clouds floating in that torrid sunset took San back to the nightmare of the other night and he could only wonder if Seonghwa had been flying on that same sky all his life without him knowing.

He wasn’t sure but lately, all the skies seemed void of clouds.

When San arrived, it was already dark and time for dinner. Seonghwa didn’t get up from the sofa or anything, just glanced at San with an expressionless face acknowledging his presence when he entered the room.

“Seonghwa.” San started, motioning for Seonghwa to scoot back and let him sit. He had been laying naked, not even underwear covering his ‘mighty meat’ and San didn’t expect him to be bothered by his own nudity. Still, he wasn’t accustomed, deeply wishing Seonghwa could listen to him and wear something, at least around him.

Without sparing any second, San handed Seonghwa a plastic bag, which he eyed weirdly as if asking what that was.

“Open it.”

Reluctantly the bag was discarded after Seonghwa took the wrapped square box, observing it as if trying to understand what it was.

“This is how humans offer gifts to each other, we wrap the gift so that the person can unwrap it themselves. Like a surprise.” San explained, pointing at the dark blue wrapping paper. “Sometimes we also put bows on top but I was trying to be quick so I didn’t have time to even wrap it nicely. Come on, see what’s inside.”

Giving the wrapping paper the same fate as the plastic bag, Seonghwa observed the mug, identical to the one San broke the day before. He eyed the mug he had used today for tea while he reflected on his tantrum from the previous night.

“You didn’t have to.” Seonghwa dismissed it but hadn’t put down the mug, still observing it as if afraid of looking at San. A lot had to be said, Seonghwa knew it. 

He had spent the entirety of the day pacing back and forth trying to come up with an eloquent explanation for what was going on, what would happen now and how San could serve him. He even rehearsed, as if in a manner to collect some of the few remaining royal sparks of his presence but now in front of San, all that preparation seemed to have flown out of the window. 

He straightened his back, uncharacteristically fidgety. When he was about to open his mouth again, San was quicker.

“Get dressed.” Rising from the sofa, San walked to the door. “There’s something I want to show you.” 

After being reassured he wasn’t going to be seen by anyone, Seonghwa finally chose a random set of clothes and San didn’t let him change before he began trying every item of clothing San owned.   
The evening turned out to be chilly and they had left in loose shirts but San didn’t even mention it, determined to end that as quickly as possible. Hopefully, the wind wouldn’t pick up but if needed he probably had a lost jacket on the backseat. If anything they could just stay inside the car but San had high hopes for that night. 

As they walked to the car, San could hear the other continuously murmuring complaints about his clothes and how he didn’t know where they were headed. San really didn’t understand why his mind wasn't being read if Seonghwa was that bothered. 

“Why don’t you just read my mind instead of sulking so much?”

Seonghwa just clicked his tongue at first, only answering when they entered the car, letting his body crash on the front seat. 

“I can’t hear you clearly right now, I’m too tired.”

“Oh.” San lifted his chin, not bothering to investigate further before starting the car and driving off. 

The drive was nearly silent, until Seonghwa interrupted it with an annoyed expression. 

“So you’re really not telling me.” 

San wasn’t able to look but he could still hear the irritation in the other’s voice. 

They left the outskirts of Seoul, taking a bumpy road up a mountain, and Seonghwa wasn’t afraid of what San could do to him but his curiosity grew by the second. That added to the lack of control over the situation only made him more restless.

“You want me to ruin the surprise so badly, huh.” 

And before Seonghwa could keep insisting, San pulled up at a small parking space in which barely fit two vehicles. It definitely wasn’t because he sucked at parking but San ended up stopping the car between the two spots.

“What are we doing in the middle of nowhere?” Seonghwa raised an eyebrow as he looked around even though he wouldn’t be able to discern anything, the night was dark and there were no streetlights. He wasn’t aware of the time, however, his body was beginning to feel that tiredness that only San could resolve. Bad timing.

“Get out of the car and you’ll see.”

They did so, the strong wind immediately greeting them with its harsh attitude and messing up their hair.

That space on the side of the road was situated on the top of a cliff. It had a broken and rusty fence barely visible with the minimal light of the moon but San was aware of it because he’d always come to stargaze there. The top of the mountain wasn’t very far from that point but it required hiking. San wasn’t fond of it.

It was too dark to see how high was the cliff and Seonghwa didn’t waste much time looking down, his head spinning at the sight of nothingness. 

Instead, he observed San, who stared up at the night sky with glossy eyes, hair still living its own life and loose shirt dancing around his frame. Upon seeing him fixed in the view above, Seonghwa followed. 

At last, it all made sense. 

“The stars…” Did San remember how essential stargazing was to him?

And again, Seonghwa was left speechless. 

If that was a side-effect of the deprivation he was going through Seonghwa didn’t know but he didn’t process how their hands intertwined. Neither did San. 

“They’re not as visible as in the countryside but you can still kind of see them from here.” 

“This is beautiful, although it’s nothing like observing them from my palace.”

“What are the stars like from your home?”

“Some days they’re closer and bright, other days they’re farther and dimmer. You don’t see them, they let themselves be seen and normally they shine their brightest whenever I walk into the observatory. You know, the stars also belong to me. I summon them and sketch the sky just how I desire like the world is mine and the universe is in the palm of my hand. That’s what power is. And looking at them from this place, it feels foreign, as if they’re not mine anymore....” The lack of hostility in the other’s voice was enough to swoon San in an entrancing moment. 

If the stars were still in the sky then not everything was lost. There was still hope. 

Suddenly a shooting star rushed through the sky, Seonghwa didn’t miss it. He jumped excitedly, pointing at the astral body moving at what seemed like a slow pace for the actuality of its stupendous speed.

“It’s a shooting star!”

“Yes, make a wish.”

“A wish?”

“Humans always ask for a wish whenever they spot a shooting star, that’s why.”

"But they're wishing to whom?" 

"Hm… The star, I think?" 

"So, to me?" 

"I guess? But if you don't know about it then it doesn't work."

"Silly, humans send their wishes to me but I don't concede them directly. You could say it's a divine act."

"Then make a wish." San tugged the other’s hand in a reassuring gesture, accidentally bringing Seonghwa’s attention to it. The drowsiness he had felt earlier seemed to have dissipated. 

"I want-”

“No, you can’t say it out loud or it won’t come true!”

“Okay, fine!”

The silence let them reconnect with the sounds of the mountain and the subtle urban noise still present at the distance they stood from Seoul. Their eyes met when the wishes were pleaded and only then they averted their attention back to the stars. San's heart was very fuzzy. 

"So you drew the constellations too?" 

"Of course, they symbolize many things for us."

"For us too! Koreans have always been interested in the stars, we see the sky as a reflection of the human world. Do you give them names?" 

"No, I presume you do?" 

"Before western astronomy took over, we used to baptize stars and constellations with names of monarchs, palaces, and known historical figures. Do you see that one? It's the Big Dipper but the name inscribed in our sources is ‘Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper’. It’s not a constellation but an asterism, I mean, a star group inside a constellation." Seonghwa nodded repeatedly, encouraging the other to keep explaining, just as curious as San, even if the latter felt embarrassed by the sudden word vomit he couldn’t control. 

"Big dipper... Is all that common knowledge?"

"I don’t think most people care enough. I've been reading about astronomy since I was a child. The stars always have brought me some sort of comfort. And you… You were the one that put them in the sky I have been looking at all my life." San instantly regretted the last sentence, assuming it had been too sappy. When he found himself caressing Seonghwa’s hand with his thumb he almost retrieved it, scolding his instincts. 

But Seonghwa chuckled. He actually chuckled and it wasn’t sarcastic at all.

San got caught off guard by the sincerity it dripped, it was inevitable to not blush and feel his face heating uncomfortably despite the wind continuing to slap his cheeks with its cooling air. That type of reaction could only be possible because Seonghwa was who was, nothing else. 

There was a lot going on in his mind, mainly how floaty his body was next to the other. It almost compared to the peace that crawled over him as they cuddled. 

"I am with humankind in subtle ways, San. You're not meant to notice. I'm just glad the stars are still there, shining. It eases my worry, just slightly."

“They will always shine.”

“No, you don’t understand, San.” Seonghwa’s mournful tone stung San’s heart, he sounded like there was nothing left worth fighting for in the world and it scared the latter.

The moment he let his head drop San picked up his other hand, making him quiver. He swung their hands briefly, studying the other before saying the words he had been trying to let out. 

The wind had stopped but San could still hear the leaves rustle. The temperature around them dropped too, San hated whenever that happened. It meant that Seonghwa was vulnerable. 

“Then tell me everything so that I can understand.” 

“You’ve read quite a lot about the history of Korea but I will start from the beginning and try to be brief about it. From time immemorial I have dwelled across the skies. Not just me but also other heavenly spirits that have accompanied me in this immortal life.”

”While the celestial energy of the universe resides in the sky, there’s another place where a part of it is stored. That’s how the balance of the universe prevails, however, that is not just some common place, it’s the underworld. So you can see where this is going, right? Despite being responsible for the weakest power core, its guardians grew blind by it. Hence why the underworld is now filled with horrendous beings capable of appalling things, serving the core and its guardian that they so call ‘The Creator’.”

“We don’t coexist peacefully, and we as the heavenly spirits have the duty to protect the universe. And while we’re more powerful, hellish creatures are very resourceful. Despair arises from mere dust and I know it seems like an exaggeration but I can assure you I’ve seen it happen many times. They attack when you least expect, causing havoc wherever they wander through. If the energy of the universe falls in their hand, our existence is doomed. That’s why my role as protector of Korea is crucial. Whilst it is my destiny to forever protect Earth from their offensives, our home must also be preserved for the sake of everything that exists.”

“You’ve seen Mingi in action. He isn’t to be underestimated. That tattoo was done by a demonic artifact extremely difficult to operate with. It inflicts curses and misfortune to whoever it marks. You’re an exception since the malice coursing through the ink of the tattoo is nullified by my divine virtue. Although bonds with humans tend to end in the weakest being’s demise, it's not effective if the bond includes an astral soul. And it’s impossible for demons to wander on Earth like Mingi but that just shows how capable and menacing some creatures from the underworld are. He managed to keep his identity a mystery for thousands of years, escaping our thorough surveillance and ending up trapping me in this useless form, achieving what many have tried for so long.”

“San, I need you to understand: By the time of the next Red Moon, it might be too late for me to be of assistance to the universe. I do have powerful allies and servants to whom I trust my immortality to but there’s only so much my people can do. Without my presence for so many days and nights, life as this universe knows it might be condemned to an abysmal fate. It’s true that our energy core is sealed by my most advanced sorcery and only I have access to it. But the determination they hold in their corrupted hearts surpasses the physical strength that carries it and so I have no doubt that my absence makes their desire much easier to achieve.”

“Every minute that passes of me lounging in the comfort of your home, leeching off you quite literally and doing absolutely nothing to stop the incoming storm makes my heart wrench in ways I didn’t know it was possible. I carry the wellbeing of this world and without my full power I'm nothing but a pawn, observing the evil destroying what I have been holding so close to my heart for all these millennia.”

“Since our encounter with that demon I have been trying to figure out ways to counter my own rules, testing my powers without my orb and ultimately attempting to communicate with my people but I’m very limited. It’s been hard to accept that I am now stuck in this body and that I am of no help until my return. I’ve been throwing all my frustration on you when you’ve been doing nothing but being loyal and taking care of my needs. I do not wish to continue being so insensitive to you, after all, in normal circumstances you are my servant and right now you’re my equal as our bond imposes us dependent on each other. It’s your duty as the bond orders- no, I have to say this in a modest way! I’ll try to approach this differently.”

“San, could you take care of me until the next Blood Moon rises in the night sky?” 

“You don’t have to ask twice, Dragon King.”

D-675


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am baaaaaaaaaack!
> 
> I know I made this fic sound serious but the domesticity is coming <3

Seonghwa regained his usual energy and, of course, his sense of superiority. More often than ever, he’d demand San to explain frugal things of their daily routine, justifying that if he was bound to earth he should learn about the human trivialities. 

Some things were easier to introduce, such as how a stereo worked. For less conventional things San could offer a paltry explanation. For example, Seonghwa wasn’t satisfied with San’s definition of the stock market (The TV talked about it too much, it got on his nerves). San barely knew what a share was.

Much to his demise, Seonghwa was too curious about his surroundings and sometimes the internet’s definition would have to suffice. However, the tiniest mention of the internet always originated in an exhilarated reaction from the dragon. He simply could not wrap around his head the concept of wireless connection. 

“So if I press this button,” Seonghwa stomped across the room to pick up the internet router, rotating it until the only button was found. “I turn off the internet? Everywhere?”

“Not everywhere, you only shut it down to the devices connected to it.” 

Seonghwa let out a long nonchalant sound before pushing it. 

“Seonghwa! Didn’t I warn you earlier to not do it? I was in the middle of something important.” San threw his arms on the air, exasperated as his work was lost. Seonghwa never seemed to realize how that truly affected San, he merely clicked his tongue not making a huge deal out of it.

“How important can it be? And besides, look! It’s nearly dinner time and I’m starving! Let’s make dinner, forget about work for two seconds.” 

Working at home was pronounced impossible.

After turning the wi-fi on, they walked to the kitchen in order to begin cooking. Seonghwa had been assisting San at every meal, including breakfast. He’d always make San cook a new recipe to learn it. So far, San had taught simple dishes such as _kimchi_ fried rice, _bibimbap_ , and _dakjjim_. 

“Tomorrow I’m cooking my own lunch.” Seonghwa announced as he cut carrots in small chunks.

“What?” The kettle’s click interrupted San’s incoming outburst. “But today’s dinner is going to leave leftovers. They’re still very tasty even if you heat them in the microwave.” 

“I don’t care, I want to cook by myself!” 

“But-”

“I’m not turning the kitchen into a warzone! Why don’t you trust me?”

San’s skepticism laid on the fact Seonghwa hadn’t been living the pedestrian life for more than two months and his insurance wasn’t that good to cover the possible disaster ensuing if he let him play with the gas.

“Insolent! You have no confidence in me! Sometimes your thoughts really hurt me.”

“I know a way for them to not hurt you: stop reading them.”

“There are times that it’s impossible, you’re too loud. Anyway, it’s settled. I wasn’t asking for permission anyway.”

“Ah, yes, I forgot you’re the one paying the rent.”

“I’m not human at heart, silly.”

“I love how you play the ‘not-human card’ whenever it’s convenient.” To that Seonghwa only shrugged, a pompous grin accompanying. 

“Anyway, what is a flint?”

“Finally you come up with questions from my area of expertise!”

As pledged, San came home on the following day to a faint burnt smell. At the doorstep, he panicked, only relaxing when the kitchen was found spotless. But there was still the stench that Seonghwa hadn’t taken care of by opening the window. 

“So? How did it go?” San walked into the living room with a knowing expression on his lips, turning back to turn on the ceiling light. Seonghwa seemed to enjoy being in the dark a lot.

“Outstanding. As expected from your King.” Seonghwa paused the program he was watching. The lack of enthusiasm only made San more suspicious.

“Really?” 

Their normal routine after San arrived was to find Seonghwa on the sofa, naked, watching TV. San would sit next to him, and the banter started. But even throughout Seonghwa’s protests, their hands would always find each other. 

It was later when San became aware of those light, feather-like touches. They were naturally intrinsic in their dynamic as if there was no need to notice or to even think about it. That was how it was and Seonghwa wasn’t one to question. 

That day in particular San witnessed the other’s elusive hand brush over his, delicately tracing the skin, frail sparkles appearing and in the same second disappearing. From there, their hands slid on each other. 

That was the moment Seonghwa considered San finally home. 

San always blushed, spacing out as he observed the sparkles tingling over his skin. He’d catch himself reacting like a teenager to some of Seonghwa’s affection, cringing at his own instincts. Seonghwa didn’t think like a human, of course, this type of physical contact didn’t mean anything else other than the dependency he was cursed upon. 

And yet, there was San, unable to control a fiery scarlet hue flooding his complexion. 

Seonghwa was so ethereal, San would never get used to the remnants of magic gracing his presence.

“At the second try, it was outstanding.”

“What did you cook?”

“...Noodles.”

“The instant ones? And you let them burn?” The scoff San let out angered Seonghwa, ears turning red. 

“Don’t judge me!!” 

_Cute._

“What!?” 

Seonghwa let go of his hand to throw them in the air, shifting his body weight to his knees, everything too exposed, too close in front of San. 

Eyes on eyes, San would tell him himself. 

“What are you watching today?” Letting his thoughts run free when they could be read at any point wasn’t a smart decision. San played it cool, restraining the urge and maintaining eye contact with a resistance he didn’t know he had.

“Oh, I actually turned on the TV half an hour ago.” Seonghwa played the documentary, finally sitting back. “It’s about indigenous peoples of Oceania. What’s up with people from other continents taking these islands like they have the right to? Despicable.”

“Yes, very despicable indeed.” San repeated the adjective, making Seonghwa look at him suspiciously, in an effort to understand if he was being mocked or not. San raised a confused eyebrow and the issue was dropped. 

“Do you know about this?”

“To some extent. I might have learned a bit about it but I can’t recall.” 

“Then go grab your laptop and ask the internet.” 

“I can search it up for you on my phone.” 

“Ah, yes,” Seonghwa observed San typing on the rectangular object. “I want one.”

“A phone? You’re actually right, you need one.” San nodded pensively, before getting up to fetch an older model he abandoned months ago after he had purchased his current one. “It hasn’t been used in a while but I think it still works. I just need to charge it and we will see.”

“That’s different from yours.” Seonghwa observed, expressionless.

“Yes, it’s the one I used before.” The phone lit up when San plugged it in. “It works!”

Bringing the extension closer to the sofa, San sat by the other’s side again, ready to show him said phone. But Seonghwa was too smart.

“No, I want a new one.”

“Why do you need a new one? You don’t even know how to use one, to begin with.” Seonghwa gasped. “I should get you a phone without a touchscreen. There’s nothing easier than buttons.” 

“Why does that sound worse than the one you’re trying to give me?”

“Seonghwa.” San put the phone down, once more trying to reason with the dragon who had his arms crossed, face turned to the tv to ignore him. “My phone was very expensive. I can’t afford to make impulsive purchases just because your Highness desires so.”

“Every phone ad on TV shows you can pay smaller amounts monthly. Just pay like that instead of paying in full. Problem solved.”

“Installments are nothing but foul schemes to make the customer pay more than if they were to choose one single payment, I’m not doing that.”

“What’s an installment?” 

“Look, the point is that phones are very expensive. You need a phone, I have this one. I bought it two years ago, it’s nearly new. I formatted it!”

“What about the battery?”

“It’s good, I treat my devices well. What do you even know about batteries to be asking about it?”

“Nothing but yesterday I saw someone on TV talking about their importance when considering a new phone.”

“Oh my god, Seonghwa!” San cackled loudly at his honesty. He didn’t even know what response he was expecting but that wasn’t for sure.

San earned a slap on the arm, Seonghwa didn’t enjoy being the motive for laughter. Moreover, he forgot to control his thoughts again, being adorable was not something Seonghwa wanted to be. Those were not adjectives appropriated for a king!

“Knock it off! I want the best because that’s what _I_ deserve!”

“Since you’re so fixated on getting the best of the best, how about we make a deal? If you cook today’s dinner without missing a step, you get a new phone.” 

“Oh, it’s on! But you’re not taking the laptop to the kitchen!” In a quick motion, Seonghwa sprung from the sofa, standing for a bit before grabbing the remote to turn off the TV.

“I only thought that to annoy you, I will be honest.” San unplugged the phone, shutting it down as soon as it booted. He put it back in the random drawer of the tall bookshelf where he kept all his literary books but also academic resources he piled up throughout time. 

“You have been thinking a lot of things to annoy me, it seems.” It sounded suggestive even though it wasn’t meant to. 

“Well, look at the time, you need to start cooking.” Pointing at the black clock on the wall, San exited the living room, turning the light off.

“What do you mean I’m adorable! I’m not!” Seonghwa stood in front of the door, raising his voice as San walked to the bedroom without looking back. From his thoughts, San seemed nervous and Seonghwa was dying to know why.

“I will go grab something for you to wear.”

“San! I demand answers!” But as the bedroom door closed, the apartment quieted down, leaving Seonghwa in a state of annoyance.

No answers were given and to San’s fortune, Seonghwa forgot about that as soon as he walked to the kitchen, determined to win. Grabbing the recipe book San had brought from the bookshelf days ago, Seonghwa flipped through it just to examine the presentation of the dishes. 

“Wear these.” 

San wasn’t expecting Seonghwa to be bent over the counter, looking at the book. Was it mentioned that Seonghwa naked? He still was. It seemed like he enjoyed reminding San of that. He rolled his eyes at the sight of the shirt the other had brought.

“Only the briefs.” It was rather amusing how Seonghwa treated everything like a negotiation. San put the rejected shirt on a chair, taking the other beside it, trying to focus on something else than Seonghwa getting dressed. 

He couldn’t understand if he found it harder to concentrate when the other wore briefs or was naked. It’s not like wearing briefs left much room for imagination anyway. 

Seonghwa had left one of the aprons hanging from the back of that chair. San picked it up and handed it to him. It was red, San knew that was the reason for it being picked.

“Wear an apron then,” Seonghwa grunted something but complied. “What are you cooking?”

“I get to choose?” One and two bows securing the apron in place and Seonghwa turned around, leaning on the counter with a smirk on his lips. 

San could only gulp, eyes wandering to ungodly places.

From that angle, Seonghwa seemed to be only wearing the apron and fuck, if that wasn’t arousing as hell. Seonghwa cooked earlier like that, San realized and he wished he hadn’t, dick twitching at the thought. He was so fucked. 

That was the right timing to avert his eyes and think of a dish Seonghwa could try by himself, however, he missed the marking.

In his mind was excessively vivid images of him getting up from his seat, making his way to Seonghwa, trapping him between the counter and his blazing body and devouring him whole, mouth tasting from his flawless neck down to his c-.

“You want me to make it harder for you?” There were a million other replies to Seonghwa’s question and San inadvertently chose the one with the most innuendo. 

Seonghwa merely chuckled before ambling across the kitchen. Leaning on the table with his elbows, he let his head rest on his palms, apron folding enough for San to peak at his chest. But he wasn’t looking at his chest, it was impossible to depart from Seonghwa’s bewitching gaze. His pupils grew in interest, sly slits enlarging into aroused ovals. 

One look and San stopped feeling his trembling legs.

One look and the scenario San had imagined shifted from him taking control to Seonghwa propelling the table out of the way and straddling him, one firm hand yanking him by the hair the other around his d-.

“San, you seem to want it a lot. To make it hard, I mean.” It was pathetic at how San’s breath hitched at the lusciousness of the other’s voice. 

He was trapped in Seonghwa’s siren-like aura.

San merely escaped, sanity washing over him like freezing water over his head as he stumbled to get up, stepping away as if his imagination was about to swallow him to another dimension.  
And Seonghwa had witnessed it all. 

“The apron’s not enough, you need to wear a shirt after all.”

Seonghwa had said “With determination, I can achieve anything” and the next day they went to the nearest mall to buy Seonghwa a phone. San tried to bargain buying the phone next month, which was a week after, but Seonghwa couldn’t wait. 

Of course, he couldn’t.

“At last! A device worthy of my mighty predominance!” 

San couldn’t decide if he resembled a royal figure more or a spoiled child. 

The rest of the evening was spent on setting up the device. After ten thousand nonsensical questions and a full charge later, the phone was ready to be used by Seonghwa. The apps San deemed necessary were installed and introduced briefly and numbers were exchanged and tested (Seonghwa sent San a text message, calling him his personal encyclopedia).

Needless to say, Seonghwa was blown away by the camera function, instantly taking photos of his surroundings: the turned-off TV, a blurry San covering half of his face with his hand, his face, also blurry, and to top it off, a picture of his dick. San made him delete the last one.

“There are some apps you’ll need so we’re going to the store-”

“Now? Why didn’t we go before coming home?”

“No- what? No, the store is on your phone.” 

Unsure, San installed a few basic games in case he got extremely bored. Seonghwa immediately fell in love with _Animal Crossing Pocket Camp_ and a random _Sudoku_ application. 

The next day, It wasn’t with much shock San read the text notification after class. Seonghwa said he’d text him after all.

[12:02] Seonghwa: [photo]

[12:02] Seonghwa: I made lunch

The shock laid in the photo Seonghwa decided it was appropriate to send. 

Frankly, it was both their fault. San should have seen what type of photos Seonghwa would send. San merely opened the chat and immediately locked the phone.

Seonghwa stood in the kitchen, the fridge in the background, showing a plate San hadn’t had time to discern its contents. The real attention grabber was Seonghwa’s sharp collar bones, the red apron hanging loose from his neck, his pinkish lips lush and starry eyes shining proudly of his feat. He looked void of second intentions, it made San feel ten times worse.

[13:14] San: Looks tasty

[13:16] San: but you really shouldn’t send pictures like that 

[13:16] Seonghwa: like what?

[13:16] San: naked I mean

[13:16] San: I’m at work, it’s not appropriate

[13:17] Seonghwa: I’m wearing the apron!!

The topic had been avoided until then and thanks to the technologies it would be one more time. 

San literally sighed exasperatedly before shoving the phone back to his pocket, leaving Seonghwa on read. Judging from Seonghwa’s temper, San could guess Seonghwa would be upset without getting a reply. Seonghwa would have to forgive San’s poor heart, the levels of homosexuality were high enough for him to be unable to find a coherent reply to a racy selfie. And San needed the constant reminder that Seonghwa wasn’t trying to seduce him… San was 98% sure of that (1% for his delusional subconscious and the other 1% was genuine doubt). Being from two different realms meant they didn’t share the same perception over… anything really. 

The attempt to categorize Seonghwa with terms used in a society he doesn’t belong to was senseless. San wants to scream about how exhibitionist he is, but is he really? 

The next notification saved San’s brain cells from the work of scooping a conclusion. Seonghwa sent him another photo, this time on the sofa, no apron in sight, elbow resting on the back pillow and hand lost on messy hair, face slightly tilting and lips parted, eyes darker with lust? Now, San was really pushing his luck.

How to tell your roommate that the naked selfies he’s sending you meant to be annoying are about to cause an unfortunate accident? 

[13:32] Seonghwa: [photo]

[13:34] San: Are you bored?

[13:34] Seonghwa: How inappropriate is this?

[13:34] San: on a scale from one to ten, I think it’s an eleven

[13:35] Seonghwa: I saw someone online doing this pose and I wanted to try it 

[13:35] Seonghwa: It’s still weird to see myself on the phone

[13:35] San: that’s how pictures work

[13:35] Seonghwa: But I look good right?

[13:36] San: yeah

[13:36] Seonghwa: Do I look better in pictures or in real life?

[13:36] San: the real you is a dragon…

[13:37] Seonghwa: omg you’re useless

[13:37] San: What???

In oblivion, the topic was dropped by an irritated Seonghwa whose phone nearly hit the floor when it was projected to the other side of the sofa. 

Before San had time to even realize what caused the other to snap, a familiar voice brought him back to the hallway, having forgotten to go back to his office. 

“San! Long time no see!”

[17:23] San: Seonghwa can you please wear something? I’m bringing someone over to have dinner with us

[17:24] Seonghwa: No, I can’t

[17:24] San: Seonghwa, I don’t exactly have an explanation for having a naked man strolling around the house. For the love of god PLEASE wear something!!!

[17:24] Seonghwa: And who is the intruder?

[17:24] San: it’s a friend from college we’ve known each other for a few years so pls get dressed?? How many times do I have to tell you that humans don’t walk around naked in front of other people

[17:25] Seonghwa: I’m not human so

[17:24] San: .......

[17:25] Seonghwa: I’ll consider your wish

San had his hopes high, perhaps Seonghwa was growing common sense. Perhaps Seonghwa was messing around to annoy him. The possibilities were infinite.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were moving back.” 

“I wanted to surprise you!” Yunho giggled. They had just reached San’s apartment. With all the chit-chat his worry vanished. “Also, I didn’t want to trouble you, we should have gone out instead of eating at yours.”

“Nonsense, you talk as if I’m not just going to put a pizza in the oven.” San fumbled with his keys. “And nowadays I’m in a bind so I don’t mind.”

“What? Financially?”

“Not exactly but you’ll see.”

San quickly fabricated a story in his mind: Seonghwa was a cousin from Namhae that came to Seoul to study. Simple and risk-free. 

Except Seonghwa didn’t want to cooperate that easily.

They made their way inside, Yunho commented the place hadn’t changed a bit. It was true, San had never shown interest in changing the decor, mostly every piece of furniture was the same when he first moved. 

“Come, there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”

Everything seemed in place until they went to the living room. Well, if we see it from a certain perspective, everything was indeed in place: Seonghwa sprawled on the sofa, fumbling with his phone, solely in briefs. Not even when San let out a screech of horror did he raise his head.

“Seonghwa, what did I ask you to do!” 

San didn’t know where to hide or what to say, his bulletproof lie has had a modest life. Bubbling inside him was anger, shame, distress all in a dizzying stew leaving his head nearly spinning. Seonghwa furrowed an eyebrow upon seeing San’s contorting face, his clueless self unsure why was he fuming. He sensed Yunho’s presence but didn’t say anything, he hadn’t been this close to someone other than San.

Meanwhile, Yunho watched dumbfounded, unsure of what to say or do in the presence of a nearly naked stranger. He let San take care of it, watching him flapping his arms in frustration as he continued scolding the other, the latter not at all interested. 

“Hey, that’s mine!” Seonghwa screeched when San swapped the phone out of his hands. San’s blush turned a whole new shade of red when Seonghwa jumped over the sofa and nearly shoved him against the table and still San wasn’t budging, phone held up high.

“Go. Or you won’t eat tonight.” 

Seonghwa grunted, not sparing a look at the stranger as he stormed out of the living room.

“Yunho, I’m so sorry about this. He’s just too much sometimes.” San let out an awkward chuckle, noticing then the sweat pooling on his forehead, heartbeat fast as if he had just run a marathon, the fidgety fingers dropping the phone on the table.

He tidied the pillows in a futile attempt to calm his nerves, face still pale. Of course, Seonghwa wouldn’t listen to him. Well, technically, he half listened. He put on a pair of briefs and called it a day. San knows that was going to be the argument when he confronted him later. That’s reason enough to not touch the issue. 

Despite being furious with Seonghwa he was also to blame, he knew. The dragon was naturally rebellious if San didn’t give a proper reason for his demands, he should have seen his disobedience incoming. 

Now San had to fetch a congruent reason why there was a naked man living with him, in seconds before Yunho began questioning. The plausible excuse couldn’t include the following: his supernatural identity, or their nonexistent romantic relationship.

The latter was what Yunho assumed instantly, obviously, and much to San’s dismay.

“San, I never thought you’d be into brats.”

“Shut up, it’s not what it seems.” But Yunho didn’t hear.

“You didn’t tell me you were together with someone! I feel very offended, I want all the details!”

“What together? What details? It’s not what it seems, I’m telling you!”

“You don’t have to be shy just because you’re kinky, San. Everyone is at least a bit kinky.”

“Yunho, he’s just a roommate.”

“You only have one room.”

“Okay, you got me there but we’re not a thing! I don’t know why he keeps walking around like that, guess it’s his thing.” 

“Clothes are restrictive, I need my skin to breathe properly.” 

Both men whipped their heads to Seonghwa, who leaned dramatically on the door frame, finally wearing something. But it wasn’t just something. Seonghwa had chosen a dark blue suit San hadn’t touched in years. The white shirt was obscenely opened, at least the top four buttons weren’t done and the tie was hanging around his neck. Despite the awfully sensual attire, the lack of shoewear was a huge turn-off, even comical. 

“Why are you wearing that?”

“To make you shut up, that’s why.” Yunho snickered at the other’s sassiness. 

“Seonghwa, this is Yunho, he’s my old friend from college. Yunho, this is Seonghwa…” The latter was waiting for a little introduction like Yunho’s but nothing else left San’s mouth. Seonghwa stood still, unsure of what he’s supposed to do without introducing himself as the celestial being he is at his core. 

“Hi, Seonghwa! I didn’t hear much of you San didn’t tell me anything.”

“How dare he not mention me?! I am literally the sun and the moon and the soil of his world and he doesn’t talk about me?”

“I’ve had enough, I’m gonna take care of dinner before I have a stroke.”

Despite the questionable start, Yunho and Seonghwa hit it off well. San was planning to bond with Yunho as they hadn’t seen each other for nearly a year but Seonghwa seemed even more excited than him for meeting Yunho. So much for an intruder.

Seonghwa showed no sign of embarrassment over what had happened minutes earlier. San envied that freedom. He didn’t realize but he had been staring at Seonghwa, who laughed wholeheartedly at Yunho’s antics. San was a bit anxious about Seonghwa meeting other people but he was amiable and probably repressing the questions about the things he didn’t know about.

Overall, he was doing a great job blending in, it was a relief.

The kitchen was filled with the exciting scent of pizza. They sat at the table as they waited for San’s alarm to ring.

“I completely forgot, look at my tattoo!” San pulled the shirt sleeve up to show Yunho the beautiful and cursed piece. Seonghwa looked at it with some bittersweetness over his tongue.

“Holy shit, it’s amazing! When did you do it?” Yunho traced it, honestly shocked at its size and detail. 

“Like two months ago or something.”

“Didn’t know you liked dragons that much. For someone that never returned home after coming to Seoul, tattooing a dragon was the last thing I expected.” Seonghwa eyebrows shot up at that but didn’t interrupt, making a mental note to ask San about what that meant when they were alone.

“It just sort of happened. I had researched them, that’s why.”

“I’m waiting for the day you tattoo a piece of pottery. Just a large vessel, comb-patterned, and everything.”

“Imagine me going to a studio with a picture of a Jeulmun vessel and asking the tattoo artist ‘yeah, can you tattoo this on my ass?’”

They cackled like madmen, Seonghwa observing the way they interacted, finding the discrepancies between their dynamics. Humans seemed to have many sides and many states of mind.  
“Oh, right. I should tell Seonghwa your embarrassing stories.” 

“Here we go.” San grunted, rolling his eyes at the other’s mischievous idea. 

“What embarrassing stories?” Seonghwa scooted closer to Yunho, eyes always so full of stars and curiosity. 

“San has plenty. Remember that time you were at the convenience store and you didn’t realize we filled your wallet to the brim with condoms until you opened it in front of the cashier?”  
“I have never recovered from the trauma, Yunho.”

“And that time we were out for drinks, you were already a bit tipsy but anyway, someone yelled at their group of friends if they wanted something and you got up and asked for a… what was it… Ah! A prairie chicken or whatever that was!”

“I watched a Buzzfeed video before going out, stop! How about I tell Seonghwa some of yours? That time you skinny-dipped inside a fountain on campus!”

“Mine are not as iconic and truthfully why would your boyfriend care about my stories? Right, Seonghwa?”

“Boyfriend?” Seonghwa tilted his head, looking at San in confusion.

“I’m telling you we’re not a thing.”

“He’s not my boyfriend, technically he’s my servant.” San launched himself off the chair to cover the other’s mouth trying to hide his nervous body with a choked laugh. 

“What the hell are you blabbering about, silly?” Seonghwa fought to remove the other’s hand off him, nearly kicking the table to the floor, tossing his legs around. “Sometimes he takes his jokes too far, don’t mind his stupid ass.” Yunho could only laugh at their peculiarities. Thank God to BDSM or Yunho would realize something wasn’t normal. 

_Control yourself before he thinks we’re suspicious!_

The alarm went off at the moment Seonghwa quieted down with the flouncing, San’s distressed thought reached loud and clear to him. They set the table, served the pizza and the conversation moved on to less dangerous topics. 

“Since I’m coming back, I’m thinking of doing taekwondo again.” 

“Oh right, you stopped when you left Seoul. Are you going back to the school we used to go to?”

“Yeah, do you wanna come too?”

“Not really, I haven’t had much time.”

“I want to go.” They whipped their heads to Seonghwa. Not a single sound had left his mouth since the food was served, focusing on the pizza slice he quickly devoured but also reflecting on the misunderstanding created between them. He didn’t understand what Yunho thought they were but couldn’t ask.

“Oh, Seonghwa knows taekwondo too!”

“Actually-”

“Barely, it’s something like this?” Stepping away from the table, Seonghwa recreated a basic taekwondo position. He had seen a match on TV days ago, that’s where all his knowledge came from. San tried not to show surprise but his mouth hanged while watching the other showcasing moves in near perfection. 

“Wow, you’re great! You totally should come!” Seonghwa smiled brightly, eyes immediately pleading at San as he sat again and squeezed his knee knowingly.

As if San could say no.

“Can you take him with you when you go sign up? He’s not very good with people.” 

“Of course! I’m picking you up tomorrow at four!” 

“Wear this tomorrow.” Seonghwa watched San take a simple outfit out of the wardrobe, placing it on a chair before turning off the ceiling light and walking to bed. 

The bedside lamp bathed the room in a warm luminosity. A sudden intimacy lingered inside the room.

The days were getting colder, San could appreciate sleeping next to someone again. Did he want to? It was too late to divulge into deep issues. His mind was a melted slush at that point of the day.  
“Why were you asking for my permission earlier? You always do whatever you want without caring.”

“When you put it that way it sounds too harsh.” Seonghwa pouted, San observed a slight hurl of hurt rushing through the other’s gaze. He regretted being blunt but sometimes it was the impression Seonghwa gave. “You’re my guardian in this world. I wanted to know what you thought about it.”

“Where did you learn Taekwondo?”

“I didn’t, I saw it on TV. We don’t have martial arts in the sky.”

“I figured.” 

Although silence involved them, they continued looking at each other. San didn’t know what he was so focused on. In a futile way, he wished he could read Seonghwa. The latter was already very much open and direct, however, so much was still to discover. And it all seemed reachable when they laid like that, looking at each other, expecting what didn’t yet come.

San wasn’t good with metaphors but he swore there were times Seonghwa resembled a black hole, absorbing every piece of San little by little in his tantalizing presence. San was aware and didn’t do anything to stop it.

“You have been here for a while, you rarely go out and do... normal stuff. I think this is a good opportunity to really get to know others better and experience what this world has to offer.” Seonghwa nodded sheepishly, finding the other’s arm, squeezing it before moving lower to hold his hand. San ignored the sound of his heart, drumming.

“You’re not there though.” 

“Does that matter?” It was too early for San to understand.

“I guess it doesn’t if you’re asking.” 

Silence again. Seonghwa intended to move away but San’s grip on his hand turned stronger, not letting him. 

“Turn off the light.” The hesitant whisper was the last thing Seonghwa processed before falling asleep. San would need more than the darkness for the unconsciousness to come.

Seonghwa had been texting San all day. He asked about what should he mention about himself, what should he reply to certain questions and what should he even react in different settings. San realized he was creating Seonghwa’s common sense one question at the time. 

The plan San had in mind was to explain a bit further about humans after Yunho left but as soon as the door closed Seonghwa pulled him into the bedroom and then the conversation got stiff, words stopped working and actions spoke louder than they ever could. 

[15:47] Seonghwa: I will have to starve because I can’t ask anyone for food?

[15:49] San: I put two granola bars in the bag I gave you this morning. You don’t normally ask strangers for food or for anything really, only if you’re really in need. 

[15:49] Seonghwa: What a weird society, I was under the impression everyone was a friend of one another.

[15:50] San: Not really. Update me of your whereabouts and give me a call when you’re done so that I can pick you up. 

San was nervous, he was terrified of leaving Seonghwa at his mercy. All sorts of scenarios, all types of catastrophes dove into his mind yet there was nothing he could do. At least Yunho would be present. Despite not knowing Seonghwa’s identity he seemed fond of him. San trusted him with his life. 

That day, San had class at the time that Seonghwa went out. He roughly assumed Seonghwa would not wait long if he left work as soon as he finished. Even though he told Seonghwa to call, San later decided it was better for him to wait than Seonghwa. 

His phone rumbled with notifications when Yunho arrived and when they got to the taekwondo school. His texting was very basic and deprived of uppercase and emojis usage, he hadn’t yet stumbled upon all those shenanigans. 

Even without any form of excitement over his words San knew he felt ecstatic, tingling. That was the impression from this morning: Seonghwa woke up earlier than him and ran around the house picking the things he was told he needed for class. He even wore the undergarments San selected last night as soon as he left the bed, which literally never happened. 

It was nice.

As calculated, San arrived before Seonghwa was finished. He didn't mind waiting. If anything, sitting in the car whilst listening to his favorite indie album was just the thing he needed after work.  
Dusk was approaching, the days weren’t as long as they were before. San liked longer days but the humid weather was tiring. 

Lately, no moment of his life has been restful. Mainly because of work, but also because of Seonghwa. The latter hated when he brought work to do but that night there was no option. There were too many exams to revise. 

Just when his mind was about to spiral at all the things he was supposed to do, he spotted people leaving the building. Seonghwa followed behind Yunho, with whom he shared a hug before the latter left. He was affectionate with everyone he befriended, it seemed. 

“Seonghwa!” San got out of the car, waving at the other. Instantly, he waved back, the smile never faltering as he bounced in San’s direction, bag dangling mercilessly at his side. 

The overly friendly greeting turned San’s ears into a quick scarlet. He stayed still as Seonghwa threw himself over the other, still jumping like a little child and shaking the other in the turbulent hug. 

“Hi!” He chirped gleefully, finally stopping. He rested his hands over San’s nervous shoulders for a moment too long before striding to his seat. It all had happened at 1.25x speed, San hadn’t even had time to hug him back, hands slightly jittery from the sudden avidness.

He tried to forget how tingling his shoulders felt and the fervent euphoria running on Seonghwa’s eyes. San had never seen him this ecstatic and it all felt normal. Too normal. Like Seonghwa wasn’t a dragon anymore. 

“Hey, look who’s happy!” 

“Is it that noticeable?” Seonghwa chuckled. “I gave Yunho a hug like the ones I give you, was that too much?”

“I don’t think so, Yunho likes skinship.”

“But was it too soon? I’m sensing that humans take too long to trust people.”

“Don’t worry, Seonghwa. Yunho’s a good person and I’m sure you can give him hugs whenever you want. Even if you met him yesterday.”

“And you know! Yunho called me when he arrived at ours and I still don’t understand how that works. I can hear his voice when I put the phone on my ear but he’s nowhere near me!”

_Ours._

“Oh, the wonders of technology.”

They drove off, the car bustling with the engaging way Seonghwa narrated the afternoon’s events. He didn’t stop talking until they arrived, every little detail was fascinating for him, San found his enthusiasm heartwarming. 

At home, Seonghwa ran to the bathtub to soak for a bit as San suggested. He would take care of dinner in the meantime, now again embraced in the silence of the kitchen. The sizzling of the vegetables in the pan matched with the muffled sound of the water running, and he forgot for how long Seonghwa had been there.

A look at his phone’s lock screen made his eyes widen in surprise. The meal was ready to eat and San didn’t want it to cool down too much. With hesitant steps, San made his way to the bathroom.

“Seonghwa? Are you alright?” No answer. 

Having no choice left, San entered, immediately clicking his tongue at how Seonghwa had been careless enough to fall asleep inside the bathtub. 

“Seonghwa. Wake up.” San nearly whispered next to the other, not wanting to scare him. The other groaned, fluttering his tired eyes open and taking a moment to understand his surroundings. 

“Oh.” Seonghwa let out flatly before straightening his back. 

“Food’s ready. Have you washed your hair?”

“No… but my arms hurt.”

“You have to wash it though.”

“You do it then.” San furrowed his eyebrows, heart throbbing loudly at the way Seonghwa demanded it, no sense of authority over his light voice.

Silently, San reached for the shampoo bottle, sat on the side of the bathtub, and massaged the other’s scalp and hair, foam quickly forming. 

“You must be tired.”

“Yes, but I can’t wait for the next class.” Seonghwa smiled, still rewinding the day in his head. He placed one hand on San’s leg, just above the knee, creating dark lines on the fabric with the wetness of his hand. “Yunho told the master that I already knew the basics and they asked me to show what I had learned so far. They were very impressed.”

“You’re wetting my pants.” Seonghwa pouted but stopped.

“And they said that I could test for a higher belt degree soon because I was very good at it. They couldn’t believe that I had never done taekwondo before. I’m a celestial being, I learn quickly and achieve anything that I put my mind into.” 

“That’s amazing, Seonghwa. Taekwondo is great for the body and the mind and you’ll make friends there for sure.”

Seonghwa kept humming at the other’s fingers doing wonders on his hair. He even closed his eyes and let his body wander in that sensation until San stopped to rinse.

“Yunho told me you did taekwondo for 6 years? That’s a lot.” 

“Yes, I’m a third-degree black belt. I should have gone up but I stopped practicing.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know…” San left the question unanswered as he finished taking care of the other’s hair, immediately getting up as his back hurt from the position. “You’re done. Get dressed or you will catch a cold.”

“How would I catch a cold? To me, it seems like a cold would be the one catching me.” San’s brain froze with the sudden logical failure and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Anyway, I can’t get sick.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Do me a favor and put on at least a pair of briefs and a shirt. Food’s getting cold.”

Dinner time went by so quickly and the conversation never staled. If San thought about it, there was never a stale moment with Seonghwa. Seonghwa was one of a kind. Technically he really was. 

Then he looked at Seonghwa which kept talking without realizing San’s thoughts. It was a relief. 

“I have work today. Mountains of it actually.” San casually dropped.

“You always have.” The tone on Seonghwa’s voice turned sour.

“This week is different. I have to finish as soon as possible. I’ll be at my desk in the room.”

“How long will you take? All evening?”

“Yeah…”

“Hm.” Seonghwa nodded wordlessly. The energy that came with the food seemed to have drained from his body, it wasn’t even enough to keep complaining. That spoke volumes.

They cleaned up and parted ways. Seonghwa didn’t want to go to bed just yet, deciding to stay a bit in the living room. Nothing interesting was airing and he could use his phone on the bed so not even twenty minutes had passed when Seonghwa entered the room. 

San turned his head to the door when he came inside but after that, the room stayed quiet, aside from the soft piano instrumental coming from San’s laptop in a low volume. Seonghwa nestled inside the covers, as usual, phone in his hand. 

A subtle irritation began to burble inside him. The ceiling light was too strong. The covers weren’t enough heat. The laughter from the street was too noisy. The mechanical sound of the keyboard being hit was disruptive. He didn’t comprehend at first from where that sudden bitter mood came from but then he realized they hadn’t spent any time together and his body was beginning to shut down. 

Seonghwa cursed mentally that nefarious weakness, wanting to fight it for his own ego but he knew better than to fight against his nature.

Throwing the covers back with a little exaggerated force, he ambled closer to San, momentarily stopping on his side, observing what he was doing. 

San halted the furious typing to look at the other. He saw the characteristic exhaustion there, body filling with worry and anguish. Still, Seonghwa pouted and looked at the laptop with disdain. He hated laptops with a passion of a thousand hellish realms.

“Are you not done yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“How much long… how much longer?”

“Maybe half an hour, I don’t know for sure.”

“That’s too long!” Seonghwa stomped his feet like a child before rolling San’s chair out of its place to sit on his lap without hesitation. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” San weakly fought against it, brain unable to function at the weight over him. 

“Shut up, I’m feeling sick.” With a whine Seonghwa hid his face on the other’s shoulder, arms already draping over them. 

San felt hot all over, his body betraying his mind but there was something about having someone on his lap that turned San’s head in a mushy mess. He stood as stiff as a statue before finally relaxing his tense muscles, struggling to move closer to the desk.

Frankly, it wasn’t even because of the sexual energy the position carried, it was just physically difficult to work like that, however, San was desperate to finish that night so he tried to calm his imaginative mind. He knew why Seonghwa was acting like that so he didn’t complain further. 

The soft tune of the piano took over the room again, San didn’t know if Seonghwa had fallen asleep as his stillness was absolute, breath serene against his skin. Seonghwa’s body was so hot all over him, like a warm cozy blanket protecting him. San didn’t react to the cuddling as much as did in the past but that was different. It felt different. Seonghwa was different. 

On his lap, Seonghwa let his body turn into hot wax, literally drooping his tiredness all over the other. Slowly he slid down, San keeping his legs still to not let the other fall off him. Seonghwa’s head found San’s chest comfortable to rest on. A few moments were necessary for his energy to return, just enough to function.

If he had spaced out he didn’t notice. When he opened his eyes again San was still clacking on the keyboard, it felt like Seonghwa had always been on his lap, unmoving and timeless, belonging there.

Despite being mildly comfortable in that position, Seonghwa still wanted to lay in bed but work seemed to never end at that point. One part of him wanted to cry and throw the laptop out of the window, beg San to stop and the other wanted to throw a tantrum and sleep away from him. The latter was impossible, he knew, it only made his restlessness itch even harder. 

San heard a little whine from his chest before Seonghwa raised his head and, _oh_ , the few centimeters of air that separated their faces felt like no distance at all. San held his breath, brain short-circuiting at their proximity. 

Seonghwa had the most beautiful lips San had ever seen. They were plump, raspberry red and plush, San could only imagine laying his lips there would feel like laying on a cloud, cotton candy, every allegory allusive to the softest and sweetest things of the universe. They didn’t lose any points for all the whispered obscenities and neverending complaints that passed through them, they were perfect and pristine, taintless. In a desert, they would be an oasis, capable of quelching any thirst, and San was parched. 

“What are you thinking?” 

“Nothing.” San said breathless, sucking the lip color of the other into his cheeks. He couldn’t hear anything else other than what came through the other’s mouth.

A curious giggle sounded between them.

The aerial moment ceased when Seonghwa broke eye contact to adjust his position on San, accidentally rolling his hips over him. 

Their eyes widened, both surprised by the friction it caused. Seonghwa didn’t say anything, he shifted on San one more time, finding his lower body reacting in a new way he hadn’t experienced yet, immensely interested in it. 

“San, what’s this…”

“S-Seonghwa-” San’s voice was cut by another delicious and wicked pressure over his crotch, hands electrifying his whole body from his neck. Seonghwa’s pupils had never been that large and frantic.

“It’s delectable every time our hips meet, do you feel it?” 

San let his head roll on the chair before driving its attention down, Seonghwa looking so small and cute in his loose shirt and briefs on his clothed self. Every detail was making San’s head spin in delirium and he had never felt like that with anybody. Seonghwa had to be bewitching him with his powers for it to be so hazing. 

He felt so lightheaded out of nowhere, body panicking from the lack of control, unsure of what it was going through. His heart screamed for more and more, everything from Seonghwa and yet he couldn’t help but writhe in disorientation. 

He wasn’t blind to his own attraction for him but they were too different, belonged to different worlds, and perceived their existence in a different way. There was too much difference and not enough likeness. Seonghwa didn’t belong to that world. How could he even dare to dream of standing next to a God? It was too early to judge that attraction for something more profuse but even the simple sexuality seemed too out of his limits. As if sinning for contaminating a heavenly being with his dirty rotten human existence. If anything, that was a product of his brainwashed childhood, revolving around the purity of the skies and the corrupted soil from which nothing could grow. 

San always thought that was radical but now he felt it.

_That division._

“No, don’t.”

“Why not?” Seonghwa didn’t sound mad, if anything, his voice transmitted utter confusion. Assuming it felt good for San too, he didn’t understand why would he want it to stop.

“I feel… I don’t know… I don’t feel okay.”

“Is this something humans don’t do together?”

“No, humans do this kind of thing together but we aren’t- it’s not like- I don’t know if-”

“You don’t want to do it with me?”

“I- It’s not that. Can we have this conversation later? Suddenly I feel exhausted.”

“Okay. Do you want me to get off your lap then?”

“Please.” 

After that San couldn’t work any longer, immediately shutting down the laptop when Seonghwa leaped off him, who jittered for a moment before diving into the bed once more. San didn’t take long to reach the bed too, wanting to know what time it was before drifting off but his limbs were too tired to even think of moving.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize.”

“I made you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not because of you. It’s not you.”

“Should I ask for your permission before I do anything?”

“What are you thinking of doing?”

“Right now, I really want to fall asleep on your arms.”

“I can do that.”

D-590


	4. IV

_San has his eyes shut at first, the other senses aimed at the weirdly familiar breeze caress his nudity, and the salty humid scent. He knew where he was without his vision. He had been there before. He stood still, unsure if he should open his eyes to face the dragon in front of him._

_It was when he was picked up from the infinite body of water, elevated a few meters off the surface, that San opened his eyes, meeting a pair of fierce eyes upon him._

_His body shrieked in fear but simultaneously bloomed out of curiosity. And arousal._

_The dragon’s paw was scorching, the red scales searing on his skin. One sharp obsidian black claw rested over his shoulder blades, contrasting to the scales with its coolness. The contrast created such an odd sensation in every bit of his human frame, skin crawling with the pressure of the dragon’s grip on him, hot and cold, tight._

_The dragon’s eyes glimmered perilously, sparks of preeminence swam on that mahogany red, pupils nearly invisible. They gazed at his prey nonchalantly whilst the latter now absorbed closely the facial details of the dragon. Its white long beard and graceful whiskers floated wisely on the air. His teeth were sharp and nearly of San’s size, especially the canines. From up close, the dragon’s antlers stood tall and proud. They were identical to Seonghwa’s._

_For one heartbeat, San was sure he was about to be eaten because of how close the dragon had him towards his face._

_San’s arms were free from the pressure, experimentally touching the dragon’s hand and reveling on the unknown sensation of the dragon's scales, they were hot and smooth, reflecting golden and the Dragon couldn’t be more majestic in San’s eyes._

_His nostrils were flared, then inhaling San’s scent. In the next moment, the dragon exhaled directly over San, its fiery and surprisingly alluring breath engulfing San, and then it happened._

_Drums were heard from afar or was it his heart beating frantically on his ears, San failed to recognize. San knew that sound. Its vibrations rippled his body to the molecules but no matter how much he turned and wrung his head around, there was nothing else but the water expanding to a chilling horizon that met the sky perfectly._

_Bells replaced the resonating drums. Ringing in his ears was a senseless eerie cadence slowing down, resting for one beat or two, before speeding and disorienting San and sending him into a hypnotized trance where nothing existed but the dragon. It kept playing in a dazing tempo and all that could be seen were the darkness and red._

_Black and scarlet._

_He could perceive his relatives. They were behind the huge set of chime bells of the shrine, playing the notes of a rite he had since young learned. He saw more people playing the drums but he only was able to take a glance as they dissipated in a sudden gust of air, sealing their bodies with the wind._

_San tried to concentrate, his mind burning with the nebulous memories coming back to the surface. He was trying so hard to make them more vivid and less of blurs and spurts of color washed away. Only the sound was clear. The interminable song that he had dreamed about for so many years and somehow had erased from his consciousness. The images of the dragon shrine flashed rapidly across him like a running horse striding at full speed to the finish line. Except in San’s case, there was no finish line._

_But the chiming bells halted, and San could finally reopen his eyes, gasping and panting for air as if he drowned, and had come back to life._

_Everything around him was blazing, his body was on fire, the chime still pulsating inaudible all over his sensitive body. There wasn’t any sky or water anymore, there was nothing except the dragon.  
San could only whine, writhing then now fully imprisoned on the dragon’s tail, its gold feathers tickling the thighs where they intertwined, overwhelming a common sense that wasn’t so common outside reality. Heat crept inside him, turning his body into mush, clouding his brain from all the thoughts unrelated to the dragon._

_San felt like he was floating, existing solely with the creature. And for the creature._

_The gushing pressure over him should be dreaded but nothing made sense anymore, San wanted, he needed, more of that. The scales prickled so slightly on his skin, they tickled and sent San spiraling, exhilarated by the numbing but inflaming feeling. But he still hadn’t realized what was happening, what was he experiencing, why all that anesthetizing compression was turning his thoughts into pure dew, and catching his body into flames._

_San could almost see the flames embracing him. His body was on fire, or at least it felt like it, but it didn’t burn or hurt, if anything the flames only made San sob for more and more of that exciting blaze, feverish with lust and desire. Oh, to be engulfed completely by that scorching insanity, incinerated by the dragon, turned into ashes, and later be born again for the sole purpose of serving the King._

_As the scales seemed to mark his skin with its print and temperature, the ticklish feathers augmented San’s senses, prying him with the softest and the most delicate of the pleasures. All his senses were overwhelmed but his mind or was San screaming because he couldn’t discern anything anymore, still demanded more._

_The Dragon King was perfect just like the heavens meant him to be. He was the origin and the closure, the creation and the destruction, life and death, existence and void, reality, and hollow. Yin and Yang._

_And suddenly San was freed from the dragon’s tail, but instead of falling into nothingness, his body rose upwards to the bluest of the blue of the sky, rising and rising until he hit it._

San jolted from the bed, panting uncontrollably from the sudden fall- or rise, that painfully shot up his heartbeat in his chest, he thought he could die right there. For a moment, he thought his arm was marked with the pattern of the scales but they faded as he glanced at it. San was left with a headache, a very bewildered state of mind, and a throbbing erection. 

He still felt hot all over even though the dream was over, frenetic and buzzing, his skin charred, and yet he was shivering, cold sweat clumping the bangs to his forehead. 

“Holy shit…” San murmured, jolting on the bed again when his alarm went off.

It hadn’t been five minutes since he woke up and San was already considering going back to sleep. Exhaustion lurched over his body, he could have been tossing and turning all night, he had no way of knowing by himself, the dream- or nightmare, so powerful that the energy he collected during the night was fully drained.

But he was an adult, and adults had responsibilities.

In contrast, Seonghwa wasn’t an adult, he was a dragon, which wasn’t a strong reason for why he was jerking off so lazily next to him.

San jumped on the bed for a third time upon seeing Seonghwa, laying on his side, head resting on his palm, the other involving his erection. Did his hair grow or was it always that long, waist length and silky, glowing in a lighter shade to the horizontal lines of light moving slowly across the bed? Who was he kidding, he wasn’t concerned about his hair! If anything, San tried to understand if his happy trail and pubes were that prominent. Maybe he actually did a good job ignoring his nakedness for all this time but now that he was looking, and taking it in, he couldn’t help but be flabbergasted. Seonghwa was half hard but was his cock bigger? San was going insane thinking about it.

“Good morning, San.” Seonghwa dropped casually and San only wished to destroy his face. With his lips. If that was possible. His ranging dick said it was, who was San to oppose?

“Holy shit” What the fuck are you doing!” San shrieked, instantly getting up from the bed and walking to the wall, leaning on it with his forehead. His mind bounced from the fresh images of Seonghwa touching himself to the incoherent flashbacks of the dream gradually leaving his consciousness. But there was still something that persisted, which was the heat. San still felt so hot all over as if the dragon was still all around him and why the hell did his dick twitch at the recollection? He was so fucking screwed. 

“No, what are _you_ doing? Waking up like that, you scared me.” Seonghwa’s incredulous tone brought him back to his bedroom. When San turned around, cheeks still burning and the tent on his briefs still visible, the dragon sat on the bed, legs open. San had the best view. He hadn’t changed pace, he kept the same agonizingly (for San) rhythm. San could only imagine that perhaps he didn’t know what to do with it. Oh no. Please.

“It doesn’t make sense! Seonghwa, is it possible for you to enter my- I can’t even talk to you! Stop touching yourself!”

“What’s the problem? Why are you screaming at me!” Seonghwa retorted, voice filling with irritation. He was close to running his mouth more until he noticed San’s tent. “Yours is up too!”

“Wha-” It took at least two seconds for San to realize Seonghwa referred to his cock and if only he could scream out of existence. “Don’t look!” 

“Can I see yours? I’m curious I have never seen another.” Before San could stammer a riled denial, Seonghwa suddenly realized. “No! I have seen yours the night I was summoned! But I haven’t seen it when it’s up! Please? Let me see!” 

“S-Seonghwa, there’s- there’s nothing to see. It’s just like yours.”

“You’re uncomfortable?” San nodded, walking away while slightly hiding his crotch. He was going to perish one of those days and it was going to be Seonghwa’s fault. In the background of his mind was still the gears trying to rationalize his freaky dream with a dragon. Not only was he feeling too attracted to Seonghwa, now he was dreaming of getting railed by a dragon of the size of a skyscraper. But Seonghwa was the dragon. So he wanted to get railed by- “Okay, you can show me when you feel better!” 

San was too distracted by his thoughts to even fight that logic, only grunting in response and disappearing to the bathroom. 

After a calming freezing shower, his body was finally liberated of that intractable heat. He couldn’t deny he came out of the shower trembling and teeth chattering but at least he had one less problem to mend.

“Seonghwa? In the kitchen? Cut it out.” His annoyance was toned down to a more scolding warning, as he walked around him to prepare their breakfast. Seonghwa had been waiting for him, hand still on his dick. 

San knew he couldn’t keep telling Seonghwa to not do things without giving a reason, however, he felt extremely inhibited to have that kind of conversation. Blame it on the fact that he was compelled to learn by himself without _the talk_. 

“You took too long. Why can’t I do this if it feels good? Have you tried it before?”

“Of course, everyone does it but not in front of other people.” His cheeks turned redder but he was facing the counter.

“Why not?”

“I envy your lack of common sense so much.” 

Seonghwa would never judge him. With what principles if he hadn’t any, to begin with? He genuinely wanted to learn and understand the ways of that world, as expected, San’s adverse reactions were often taken with perplexity.

“Why? You can do this in front of me if you want to. No one’s stopping you, Sannie.”

“We can have this conversation but not right now.” Seonghwa groaned at the answer he was already anticipating. San always said later, later, and never right now. “Do it when I’m not around, okay?”

“I will when you go to work.” Seonghwa huffed as he observed San putting up the table, not helping in anything on purpose. “But it’s not the same as last night.”

San put the breakfast in front of them before sitting, trying to form a coherent sentence that could reply to that kind of observation he just heard. 

“Really?” But he regretted choosing an indifferent attitude because Seonghwa wouldn’t take the hint and elaborate more on the subject. “Go wash your hands.”

“Yeah!” Seonghwa complied, too invested in his trail of logic to object. He continued talking after sitting again. ”Are things like this better when with another person?” 

“That depends on a lot of things, Seonghwa.” San stuffed his mouth, checking the time on his phone and cursing that he isn’t late so that he had a proper justification to leave the conversation hanging. San wondered if he had been that curious about it when he was younger too. He couldn’t recall any memory.

“Such as?” 

“Such as with whom it is, if you feel attracted to them or love them or if they’re skilled or not. I don’t know.” 

Seonghwa nodded vaguely, finally picking up the chopsticks and starting to eat. The silence between them grew larger and if San wasn’t grateful he didn’t know what it was. His headache was becoming worse and all the fidgeting Seonghwa was causing him wasn’t helping. The dragon ate with one elbow on the table, lazily munching on a bite he had taken earlier, hair threatening to fall over his bowl. San didn’t even hesitate to lean forward and tuck Seonghwa’s hair on his ear, earning a thankful grin, pupils turning larger in milliseconds. If San’s heart didn’t skip a beat then it would after hearing Seonghwa’s next question.

“Are you skilled in the arts of pleasure?”

“Please, I’m trying to eat in peace!” San sounded much more exasperated than he intended to.

“You have had a few partners before but-”

“Don’t go snooping around now! Stop! I’ll start screaming in my thoughts!” Seonghwa frowned, considering throwing a tantrum for a second, before lowering his head to the bowl of food, his head still bubbling with his immense curiosity. 

“What about love? Do you love me?” 

San couldn’t have a more cliché reaction. Losing all control over his limbs, he dropped the glass of water he had on his hands, tipping over and spilling water all over his clothes, table and ultimately the floor. It was a blessing that the glass didn’t fall on the floor. 

The bells resonating inside him again at a distance. But they were getting closer.

In utter confusion, Seonghwa let his mouth ajar trying to understand why San was malfunctioning. Was it because of his question? Why did he react like that anyway? 

When San kept still, unmoving, water still dripping to the wooden floor, Seonghwa fetched the first dishcloth he saw laying around the counters to first absorb the water on the table and finally the floor.

“I’m- I’m so fucking late.” 

Seonghwa couldn’t know about it if he hadn’t read his thoughts but the question caught him off guard. He had asked himself that exact question before and he couldn’t answer it. But then, hearing it, feeling it floating between their personal space, turned the issue into reality. Did he _love_ Seonghwa? 

More frantic bells chimed on his ears, it was the same thing all over again. How dare he look at Seonghwa? Him, a corrupted soul thinking it could ever reach the dragon’s heavenly substance? Laughable.  
And yet.

_And yet._

As he exited the kitchen without a proper answer or goodbye, the bells stopped ringing loudly, leaving him with an empty feeling. 

Desperate for answers. Desperate for what he desired and couldn’t obtain. Desperate for going back to the dream. 

But before he left the apartment, Seonghwa hurried to the hall where San’s hefty footsteps were headed to. San lowered his body in order to put the first pair of shoes his eyes laid on, unsure of what the other wanted. Seonghwa crouched next to him, observing him as he laced the sneakers. 

San was on automatic mode, distracted by the other’s hair, finally finishing but he didn’t stand. Instead, he timidly rose his gaze to Seonghwa, who eyed him with a mixture of feelings he couldn’t exactly pinpoint. He could discern the worry though. 

“What is it?” San whispered, not even knowing why, it just felt right to not disrupt the silence.

“I love you too.” 

A hard lump formed in his throat, Seonghwa sounded so sincere and genuine. San didn’t doubt him but he also knew he didn’t mean it. At least not in the way San wanted. There were so many shapes and semblances of love in the world, humans would go through them little by little as they lived. But Seonghwa? Seonghwa didn’t know what love was. At least not the kind San longed for. 

But love doesn’t grow in consciousness, it always blooms in ignorance. When you realize, you’re already in its presence, as it waits to be noticed. San’s doubts were the consciousness of his own feelings whilst Seonghwa… San wouldn’t know. He didn’t know anything. He could talk for days about old pottery but if asked about Seonghwa, he wouldn’t know a thing. 

Maybe it was true, Seonghwa loved him. But he did as his supernatural guardian, not as an equal. Seonghwa loves his creations and miscreations, that’s how he was supposed to relate to the universe, per consequence, Seonghwa loved San. But was Seonghwa even able to _love_? Was that possible for a celestial spirit? Seonghwa had feelings, memories, and needs, could he be filled with the most natural of the human feelings? 

Those words could be understood, more like distorted, to the listener’s liking but San couldn’t oversee the truth. It didn’t feel right. 

There were so many ways of loving, so many ways of cherishing, and San just wished all those times Seonghwa traced looping circles on his arm, played with his slim fingers, cupped his pinkish cheeks, absent-mindedly stroked his back until slumber fell over him was a form of love. That Love. That love that he hadn’t felt for anyone but Seonghwa. And even though he had never fallen in love before, he just knew, his heart screamed, ignited, and burned in such intense frustration followed by intervals, when Seonghwa wasn’t in front of him or wasn’t on his mind. At first, it was mere lust but his chest never suffered so much from somebody’s presence.

San remembered his first kiss. He was 13, curious, and innocent. This boy from his class also had been caught staring at San, more often than normal. Then one freezing winter day, the strident school bell rang signaling another finished day of classes. San had followed the boy to the back of the school where grass grew wildly and the benches were covered in splotches of dry moss. They still sat there after fighting with the stale and pointy yellowish blades of grass, and locked hands, closed eyes, tilted faces, and touched lips. 

A weak spark of fireworks set off inside San for that naive kiss, he thought that was love. It took him years to realize it wasn’t. But, he could reuse the fireworks analogy. 

Lust didn’t set off any kind of fireworks inside him. 

It was that simple.

Yet, there were fleeting moments where Seonghwa alone set off a lifetime quantity of fireworks. Its fleetness expanded as they grew closer, at that time, San couldn’t fit in a paper sheet all the little antics which triggered that bursting response from San. Sometimes an earnest grin would suffice and there went San’s heart, wrenching and the fireworks madly sparking inside him. 

In contrast to the dim fireworks of his first kiss that stifled as soon as the moment ceased, Seonghwa’s fireworks were persistent, lasting much longer, lingering, a slow fire that didn’t seem to extinguish. San felt airy, floaty as that fireworks exploded in pretty colors and shapes, glittering down and keeping the sky scintillating and stunning, a lit sparkler burning the powder down in all directions, fizzing and unpredictably throwing its sparkles around. Except that time nor gravity affected the sparkler as it kept burning on the same exact point of the powder, merely sparkling and lighting San’s hand. Sure sometimes it stung to be holding it but the light was so pretty. 

For San, Seonghwa was the sparkler that never burned out.

But what did Seonghwa know about fireworks or sparklers? 

“Drive safely.” Were the words Seonghwa slipped through his lips after they rose from the floor to which San nodded with a short hum, hesitant in every step, trying to think of something to say but ultimately turning around and closing the front door where Seonghwa stood for a heartbeat, uneasy and afraid of whatever humans made so complicated. 

It was around lunchtime when Seonghwa texted San.

[12:50] Seonghwa: [photo]

[12:50] Seonghwa: This filter is hella ugly xD 

[12:50] Seonghwa: y can’t the camera catch my antlers rolf tfw you dont has antlers xDDD

[12:51] San: uh

[12:51] Seonghwa: wut (✿°o°)

[12:52] San: …… is everything okay

[12:52] Seonghwa: everything poppin :( y do u ask

[12:53] Seonghwa: send a pic with dat filter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[12:54] San: NOT THE ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 

[12:54] San: I’m working

[12:55] Seonghwa: zzzzzzzz ur boring y u not yolo ヽ(ಠ_ಠ)ノ

[12:55] San: YOLO

[12:55] Seonghwa: HELL YEAHHH LFMAO Im so yolo lol look 

[12:56] Seonghwa: [photo] 

[12:56] San: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING ON THE ROOFTOP NAKED

[12:58] San: SEONGHWA 

[12:58] Seonghwa: dawg y u mad >:( dats u rn y u >:( 

[12:58] San: Seonghwa, can you please jerk off inside? Anyone can enter the rooftop and if they see you naked it’s not going to end well

[12:59] Seonghwa: im not naked chill :P

[12:59] San: YOU’RE STILL GONNA GET IN TROUBLE FOR INDECENT EXPOSURE IF YOU HAVE YOUR DICK OUT, PUT IT BACK INSIDE THE SHORTS RIGHT NOW YOU SENSELESS DRAGON

[13:01] Seonghwa: senseless???? What the flippin 'heck ˚‧º·(˃̣̣̥∩˂̣̣)‧º·

[13:01] Seonghwa: u mad bc u cant whip your dick out rn and it shows 

[13:01] San: idk what’s bothering me more between the excessive use of cringe slang or this dick conversation pls make it stop

[13:01] Seonghwa: y?????? >____<

[13:01] Seonghwa: [photo]

[13:02] San: did you just send me a pic of you beating your meat and doing the >___< face or am I fucking having a syncope

[13:03] Seonghwa: HEY LANGUAGE BIATCHH!! Wat does beating your meat mean btw :x

[13:04] San: I think I’ll have to block you

[13:04] Seonghwa: Boo, no >w<

[13:04] San: y r u even at the roof?

[13:04] san: omg it’s spreading i'm getting infected gOD LORD SOMEONE OUT THERE HELP ME 

[13:05] Seonghwa: I like to look @ the clouds it reminds me of my past lovers B)

[13:05] San: okay sappy I’m not bailing your romanticist ass out of jail if someone finds you dick in hand

“Seonghwa, you need to stop using old internet slang, I can’t help but cringe every time you send one of those perverted face emojis or whatever or all the rolling on the floor acronyms.” 

They sat on a random wooden bench in a park near their apartment. It was the weekend and Seonghwa had insisted for them to come out and exercise a bit. Since he began the taekwondo classes he asked San to help him practice. That explains why they are in their _dobok_ in the middle of the park, sweaty, and taking small sips of their water bottles. Seonghwa had his hair up in a high ponytail, the way it flew as he moved around was beautiful.

San was a bit rusty from the lack of practice but it was enough for Seonghwa’s level, even if he was an extraordinarily fast learner. Seonghwa was now the new user of the taekwondo equipment San had stored in the top cabinets of his wardrobe.

“They add the flavor of my speech to the monotone letters.”

It has been a few days since the rooftop incident but Seonghwa still hadn’t gotten bored of texting as he had grown during the late ’00s/early 10s. San had gotten out of that phase pretty quick but Seonghwa seemed to be enjoying a lot. He had found all that marvelous knowledge on a random online article. Seonghwa seemed to enjoy googling random things and read about them. San would like to remain ignorant of his internet history.

“Can’t you be like us mortals and use capitalized letters and excessive punctuation? I assure you will be much happier if you do.” 

“But Wooyoung finds it cute.”

“Wooyoung?”

“From taekwondo.”

“Okay… you never mentioned a Wooyoung.”

“Didn’t I? That’s odd. He approached me in the first class and since then we have been talking and last week he asked for my number so we have been texting daily too. He’s super nice.”

“You’re texting?” Seonghwa nodded innocently. San felt a painful pang in his heart. “And he thinks your outdated slang is cute?” 

Seonghwa’s excited nod made San laugh. Despite feeling jealous, he still found the other’s innocence adorable. 

“What!” Seonghwa grunted. San always laughed and never explained anything. 

“I think you should be more careful. Do you know about Wooyoung’s intentions?”

“Intentions? To do what?”

“Then, let me ask you, what are your intentions in talking with Wooyoung?”

“I don’t know, we’re just talking. I want to be his friend like I am with Yunho. Do you think he wants to be friends?”

“I mean, I don’t know what you two talk about but I’m pretty sure he wants to be more than that.”

“What? How do you know that?”

“Normally, when you ask people for their number it means they’re interested in you. As in, attraction. Did he ever ask you out?”

“Actually, he asked me earlier to go on a date. He said it was just a casual dinner and he said he was treating so I accepted! It’s free food!”

“What did I tell you about food from strangers?”

“But how is he a stranger? We have been talking for a while! Isn’t he an acquaintance or a friend by now?! Don’t friends treat each other! Yunho comes over to have dinner once in a while and you never asked for money!”

“But that’s different Yunho and I-”

“How is it different! It’s the same thing! Wooyoung is just nice and treats me well, why is it such a big deal to you! You’re always treating me like I’m stupid and uncultured because I don’t know as much as you! You dodge every chance to talk about this type of stuff! If you don’t tell me anything I will have to learn alone because all you do is laugh and avoid talking about it! If you don’t want to help then I don’t need your help, I will learn it by myself!”

The sudden outburst caught both by surprise. Seonghwa didn’t know he had been bottling up that much and San wasn’t aware of how long he had been avoiding talking about things that made him uncomfortable. Now that Seonghwa exploded both were speechless. San looked at Seonghwa dumbfounded, googly eyes and mind going blank at the other’s words. 

Before he could even process that and apologize, someone approached them, so carefully neither had noticed until he cleared his throat.

“Professor?” Jongho, who was unsure if interrupting the quarrel was a good idea, awkwardly smiled at both of the men. 

“Oh, Jongho.” Seeing Jongho there was such a surprise he could only blink perplexed, not sure if that was real. “H-Hi! How have you been? I haven’t seen you for months now!”

“I’ve been out of Seoul. Since we haven’t seen each other for a while I thought it would be nice to greet you but if I’m interrupting anything… Maybe I should just go. We can catch up at another time.”

“No, no! Don’t worry, please sit with us! We’re just practicing some taekwondo, the weather’s amazing today!” San rambled nervously, patting the bench space next to him. Realizing Seonghwa was just standing there, fists balled in and angrily biting his lower lip, San got up and walked closer to Seonghwa, not touching him. “This is Seonghwa, my roommate. Seonghwa, this is professor Choi Jongho, a specialist in East Asian folklore, more specifically dragons.”

That got Seonghwa’s attention, immediately calming down and forgetting his anger. 

“Nice to meet you.” Seonghwa waved timidly, to which Jongho replied the same and so they sat on the bench.

“I don’t have much time, I was just walking through the park to meet a friend but they can wait because I want to tell you about my expedition.”

“The Namhae one?” San asked in confirmation. Seonghwa remembered that was where San was from.

“Yes! There’s so much material there. Underneath the Dragon Shrine of Namhae there’s a huge tomb of the descendant family and the findings were exquisite! It’s a paradise for archeologists!”

“Ah yes, the tomb.” San nodded, glancing at Seonghwa, who kept an expressionless face but San saw him open his mouth at the mention of the shrine. That was when he recalled about Yunho’s words when they first met: _For someone that never returned home after coming to Seoul, tattooing a dragon was the last thing I expected._ He meant to ask about it but he failed to remember and now he could only confusedly hear their conversation regarding San’s past. 

“You didn’t tell me about the tomb, did you?”

“My parents never told me or showed me anything from it. They said the relics were too valuable, they kept the tombs off-limits and truth is, no one ever went down there. My mother told me that we shouldn’t open the chambers, that the spirits of our family and the Dragon King’s shouldn’t be disturbed. I’m honestly surprised they let you in.”

“It wasn’t easy to convince them but it was worth the bother, let me tell you.”

“What kind of things did they have in there?”

“So many artifacts! From pottery - I’m sorry I’m not a specialist so I couldn’t date its age - and lots of statues, miniatures, and also human-sized ones. Some were gold! Gold dragon statues! They have the bronze ones outside for worshipping and keep the heirlooms safe. I mean, the bronze ones are already impressive, they’re beautiful and intimidating. They have a lot of _imugi_ paintings but more specifically old scrolls with stories of _imugi_ turning into full dragons. There are also other types of legends like the King _Munmu_ of _Silla_ but that scroll was far too damaged, it was hard to discern its contents well.”

“Wow.” San muttered sheepishly, shocked. 

“There are paintings from the Joseon Dynasty, some are replicas but some are the real deal! The authentic ones are filled with red seals, one for every person who owned the scrolls. We saw the family tree and it goes way back, it’s amazing how it’s documented so well. Your lineage is extraordinary, you could have really descended from the Dragon King itself.” Jongho chuckled lightheartedly but Seonghwa gasped audibly to that last statement. Of course, he couldn’t!

“What do you mean by that?” Seonghwa questioned Jongho with furrowed eyebrows. San panicked at the sudden realization he hadn’t told Seonghwa about his family legends. He could detect a pint of anger, knowing the dragon’s rage from minutes ago was back. Bad timing. 

“It’s said that San’s family descends directly from the Dragon King, that’s how they legitimate their power and importance in Namhae and how they have been maintaining the Dragon Shrine for centuries now.” Jongho explained amicably, perhaps confused by Seonghwa's unfamiliarity with the topic. He eyed San with questions on his face, who was focused on Seonghwa’s reaction to the sudden information.

“Dragon shrine…”

“It’s where people worship the Dragon King. There are other dragon shrines across Korea but I think San’s one is really special.”

“San… our bond-”

“Yes, ours is different.” San panicked at Seonghwa’s sudden mention of the bond and cut him off with a rushed stumble of words.

Being cut mid-talking only made Seonghwa cross his arms in frustration. 

“You should have accepted our invitation to come with us.”

“Oh no, I’m too busy.”

“It would have been a great opportunity for you since it’s your home. I’m sure your parents miss you and would love to catch up with you.” San smiled awkwardly, awfully uncomfortable with the mention of his parents. “Oh, I’m so late. I have to go now but we should meet up some other time! It was good seeing you and nice meeting you.” 

They bid their goodbyes and watched Jongho disappear from their sight, air thickening with every footstep taken away from them. San already knew what was coming next.

“San! You never talked about your parents or your home!” Seonghwa let his rage take over, rising from the bench again, hands on his hips, eyes shifting to an oddly crimson and the sharp canines that only San could see very much intimidating. 

“Seonghwa, I’m sorry but it’s complicated-” 

“You never tell me anything, I hate you!” And with that, Seonghwa stormed off leaving San motionless and dazed, unsure if the last half-hour had been real. 

“Why did you run away, you know I have the key.” San knew he would find Seonghwa on the doorstep, waiting for him. 

“Shut up.” The dragon scowled. His fury had subsided however, his voice was still warning San to be careful with his actions. 

As soon as San opened the door, Seonghwa stomped to the bedroom, purposely closing the door with such force that everything inside the house shook. After removing his shoes and dropping the bag on the floor, San walked further inside with light steps. 

It was still early afternoon, the light entering through the windows filled the house with warmth and coziness. The weather was getting colder, San relished on the last hot days that autumn still offered before snow painted Seoul white. 

The illusion that everything was alright only heightened with the silence of the dormant house. San was never at home at those hours of the day, there was an eerie unfamiliarity about it as if the apartment at that hour wasn’t his. The living room clock could be heard ticking from the hall and the fridge was also buzzing. Why was he stalling?

San ambled to the bedroom in order to fix the mess he had made. Seonghwa was absolutely right to be angry and the thought of him returning to the unresponsiveness of some months ago made San’s blood run cold. He felt like they were about to lose their bond because he couldn’t get out of his comfort zone and let Seonghwa closer.

“Don’t you want to take a shower? I’ll run you a bath if you want.”

No response to San’s attempt to get Seonghwa out of the bedroom.

“Seonghwa, can we talk? Please? Can I come in?”

“No! I will not speak to you anymore if you treat me like this!” His muffled voice came in a high pitched screech. 

“I’m sorry I kept delaying but I didn’t know how to approach it and I still don’t know… I’m sorry that I never talked about my family or the shrine. Looking back it doesn’t make sense that I didn’t tell you earlier. I’ve been repressing my memories for years and I was afraid that if I talked about them that they would come back again. But it only hurt you, my incapacity to deal with my issues so… I’m so so sorry, Seonghwa. I can’t avoid this anymore, please let me in and I’ll tell you about all the things I have promised to teach you.”

There was a moment of stillness where San concluded he’d have to try again later, however, the door flew open when he least expected. Without words, Seonghwa rushed him inside, hiding his face the best he could but San saw the tears shamefully glistening over his cheeks. Seonghwa sat again on the bed, where he had been hugging a large pillow. He grabbed it again, covering half of his face with it to feel less exposed. 

San sat on the foot of the bed. He had resolved to be truthful but at the moment he lost his strength. 

“Seonghwa…” He started, eyes flickering from the other to the bedsheets, unsure where he should focus his eyes on to form a coherent speech. “I’m sorry for not telling you before, I know it’s late but I’m sure you will understand why I kept it a secret.” San released a shaky breath before finding his words again. “You know I’m from Namhae, I came to Seoul to study and work because I couldn’t bear living with my parents anymore. Since I was born I carry a heavy weight on my shoulders as the heir of the dragon temple, as a direct descendant of… of the Dragon King.”

“How is that even possible?”

“It isn’t, scientifically speaking. It’s just an excuse used to give our family power. By saying we descend from a God we authenticate our right to take care of the Dragon Temple.”

“Like the Japanese imperial family with the throne?” 

“Yeah- how do you even know that?”

“The TV… But, go on.”

“Right. So as the son of the present head monk, I mean the Abbot, of the temple, I am naturally next. So I grew up with a mountain of responsibilities. I learned how to play instruments and calligraphy from a young age, and assisted my father in every ritual and ceremony. My father… never was the sweetest. Actually, not even my mom was so I grew up in a very stoic household. To give you context, on earth, in this day and age, kids go to school all their childhood and teenage years, make friends and travel with their family, celebrate dates such as their anniversary and play games, watch movies or have hobbies. I never had any of that, not even my birthday was celebrated properly.”

“San…”

“The most common thing about my childhood was going to school but even there it didn’t feel right. My friends and I slowly grew apart. I could never hang out nor was I allowed any free time outside the temple. I became weary of it, my parents, and everything about Namhae... I felt like an outsider, I had no one I could relate to and my parents never really took a good glance at me to notice what was going on so I… I vowed to myself I would work hard to get excellent grades and leave the island for good. Despite my parents' disapproval, as soon as I became eighteen and finished the last year of high school, I packed and left. At the time it didn’t even know if I had gotten accepted in college so if everything went wrong, I’d have to find a job somewhere. I’d manage. At least, I wouldn’t be in the shrine. So… yeah, that’s how I created a distaste for the Dragon King, at least when I was younger, I had to channel my rage over something.” 

“I’m sorry that sounds awful. You didn’t deserve any of it. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything but… Right now, it doesn’t seem real as if nothing happened at all? But it did and I’m reminded of it sometimes. And it doesn't give me a feeling of nostalgia.”

“Come here.”

Seonghwa put the pillow away, opening his legs to make space for San between them. San wasn’t in a position to hesitate on the affection, immediately shifting into the other’s embrace. He knew Seonghwa wouldn’t be mad anymore but he still felt ashamed.

“Not even Yunho knows this much, I only told him I was on bad terms with my parents but he doesn’t know anything about… the way I was treated. I'm sorry, I don't want to get into the details. I'm already feeling nauseous over recollecting it.”

“No, no, you don’t have to! Now I understand why you didn’t want to talk about it, it’s hard.” Seonghwa had been playing with his fingers as he spoke, surprisingly calming San down. 

He hadn’t realized how much he had been trembling before Seonghwa held his hands. Keeping his gaze down, he didn’t even want to imagine the expression on the other’s face. Seonghwa sounded understanding and empathetic, it had a similar tone to Yunho’s speech but it was different, less pitying. 

“That’s why I hadn’t told you about it. I wasn’t trying to hide it but I didn’t want to talk about it either. Given that you are who you are… I should have shared this earlier.”

“So you dedicated a big part of your life worshipping me?” San nodded, the way the thought was processed painted his cheeks red. “Our bond, San! We were meant to be from the beginning of times!”

“Because I’m the next head monk of the Dragon Shrine?”

“Yes! Your bloodline has been fully devoted to me for all these centuries. Mingi didn’t choose you randomly. Your tattoo, our bond was meant to happen. The universe wanted this to happen.”

“Wasn’t it Mingi?”

“Mingi, just like me, is nothing but a pawn to the will of the universe. You, as the heir of Dragon Shrine, are proof enough that this was an act out of Mingi’s hands. This discovery makes me so relieved, you can’t even imagine how lighter I feel right now.”

“Why? What does it change?”

“Everything! The universe made this happen, not Mingi! Can’t you see it? The universe preserves what it creates. If this is a predestined occurrence then I have no doubts that the heavens will be fine, even if I’m not there for now. I can finally rest and wait until the night of the red moon without being consumed by guilt and stress.”

“Oh.” San wished he had something more intelligent to reply to. “Fuck, I really should have told you way sooner. We could have avoided… so many things.”

“You already explained your reasons, I don’t blame you, Sannie.” Seonghwa assured him, still absorbing the information. “It feels surreal.”

“I should be the one saying that!” San chuckled, sensing the mood inside the room getting lighter. Now that he told Seonghwa, it was almost as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His restlessness was substituted with warmth. Seonghwa silently compared their hands then settled for intertwining their fingers and still. “My parents told me when I was younger that, as the next generation, I was meant to do great things. They failed to mention the part where I’d share a flat with the divine spirit in question.”

“Your path is traced and with this bond, you’re going to do even greater things.”

“Greater than meeting the Dragon King? What would be above that!”

Seonghwa smiled mysteriously, though San couldn’t see given their position. The latter didn’t pressure him further but silently speculated about it. Unless he himself turned into a divine spirit then no ordeal could surpass what he was living at that moment. Its dawn came with the thought of what would happen after Seonghwa returned to his realm.

Nothing of that introspection lasted long since the dragon began fumbling with his white uniform’s sleeves, blowing all of his thinking away. San couldn’t help but notice how Seonghwa never remained still in any given moment. It was endearing in his eyes.

“Can I ask something?”

“Sure?”

“Do you miss your parents?”

“To a certain extent, I do. They’re the ones that raised me, I guess there’s something to miss.”

“You don’t have to feel anything for people that didn’t give you the best memories. Or is that a bad judgment?”

“I… No, it’s not. You’re right. Blood doesn’t mean anything. I feel much closer to Yunho than I have ever felt to either of them. Now that I said it, I feel bad.”

“No, don’t. That’s okay.” Seonghwa tugged his hands in encouragement, to which the corner of San’s lips couldn’t help but turn upwards. His heart beat so fast, intoxicated by the other’s soothing presence. “What about me?”

“What about you?”

“How close do you feel to me? How close are we?”

“Can’t you feel it?”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel.”

“You don’t have to know what you’re feeling to feel. Humans most of the time don’t know what they feel when they’re feeling.”

“That sounds confusing…” Seonghwa trailed off, frowning to the lack of objectivity. 

“Because it is.”

“What are you feeling right now? Just try to describe it!”

“Right now… I’m feeling safe.”

“Is it because of me?” San was glad Seonghwa couldn’t see his red cheeks, blazing in embarrassment. Though, he could spot the redness of his ears. “I guess it is.”

“How do you eve- forget it, of course, you’re reading my mind.”

“I wasn’t, actually. Your ears are red. You always turn red when I’m around. I guess that’s a yes.”

“Okay, _Monsieur Poirot_ , we get it. Oh, that’s a book series, sorry.”

“I know, it’s also a TV show.”

“And what about you?”

“Me? I’m trying to find a word but… is there even a word for what this is? Hm, I guess I’m also feeling safe. But, my stomach, as humans say, has butterflies? I think that’s it. I feel a bit jittery but that’s normal around you. Like your red cheeks! It’s funny how I don’t get like that with anyone else.” San ignored the word he had in his mind to describe all that. 

“Not even with Wooyoung?”

“No!” Seonghwa’s incredulous tone calmed San. “Of course not! Wait, you didn’t answer me! How close are we?”

“Closer than Wooyoung.”

“What’s your deal with Wooyoung? Wait, I read an article on the internet. Is this...what was it? Oh! Jealousy?”

“At the moment, you’re the person I’m the closest to.”

“I’m not a person though.”

“Oh, shut up.” San attempted to scramble his hands away from Seonghwa but wasn’t let. 

He tried not to overthink, concentrating on the warmth and his other sensations to keep him grounded. He wasn’t someone to share a lot, so now that he did, he couldn’t help but feel odd. But aside from that, San also still was troubled by that sense of guilt. Feelings over a God? How could he? Seonghwa seemed to be on the same wavelength but it felt like a mere illusion. How would it be possible for Seonghwa to feel the same way? He wanted to cry over his own stupidity but again he focused on Seonghwa, snuggling closer to his chest to lull some of his agitations. San found it interesting how Seonghwa didn’t know much about humans but affection was his natural language.

“And you know… that’s why I don’t really celebrate my birthday. It was never a habit, to begin with.”

“When is your birthday?”

“10th July.”

“We missed it.”

“I know.”

“Should we celebrate anyway?”

“What? No, it’s okay. It’s not a big deal.”

“But why not? You didn’t even tell me it was your birthday, I bet you worked all day. I don’t know anything about birthdays but I doubt people celebrate by working. Let me check what the internet says about birthdays!” 

San didn’t battle with that, letting Seonghwa check the internet for answers, the phone resting on the top of San’s head. He didn’t say anything, still entranced on their hands. Was that how being taken care of felt? San said nothing.

“Okay, we should get a birthday cake, candles, paper hats, presents, and all your friends. Should we invite Yunho and other people?”

“No, they will think it’s weird. No one celebrates their birthday so late and we’re adults, it’s already odd to make a deal out of it.”

“But you didn’t celebrate it.” Seonghwa insisted as he put the phone aside, hand brushing the other’s bangs before sliding into the other’s hand like it was meant to be there. 

“Yunho remembers it every year, he always takes me out to dinner or something.”

“Oh. Then it’s just me. Just! As if I’m not such a worthy presence!” They chuckled even though Seonghwa was only half-joking. “So… will you let me organize something for you?”

“You really don’t-”

“Stop! I want to!”

“If you insist…”

“Yes, I do insist! It said that it should be a surprise so forget I asked you anything. Okay? You have to forget! Really!”

“That’s not how our brains work but I will try.”

“Good. It will be when you least wait.”

“Okay, everything but in the middle of the night.”

“Silly!” Seonghwa ruffled his hair before nudging the other to sit straight. San turned around, resisting the urge to hug him. San didn’t know if his mind had been read but Seonghwa opened his arms and pushed San back to his chest, where he laid on an awkward position. But he didn’t let go or protest, he only wrapped his hands around his waist, closing his eyes to fully drown on how inebriated he felt from the other. Seonghwa’s heart sounded as equally fast as San’s. The latter wanted to yell. He didn’t deserve to love someone like Seonghwa. 

Then they parted, and that's when San took a good look at Seonghwa for the first time after sharing his past. It could be noticed the earnestness of the grins and the happiest of the eyes, all for him. It would have been another of those dazing moments if Seonghwa's uniform wasn't nearly opening with how loose the belt was around his waist. It was too much, too erotic for the after disposition of the cuddle session that brought them even closer. Only the universe knew how many more would be needed to bring more than their bodies together.

“Let’s soak on the bathtub.”

“Let’s?” San furrowed an eyebrow.

“Yes. My heart feels too full around you, I don’t want to let that go just now.”

D-540


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yoo, just a heads up that I'm going to start masters in a week so I don't know how often I'll be able to update (if maybe I wrote less per chapter...) but no worries because I won't abandon this fic!! Hope you enjoy this chapter <3

San couldn’t refuse. His heart felt full too. 

Good thing San’s tub was bigger than usual or they would be cramped without space for legs. Seonghwa had untied his hair, at first letting only the lower parts soak on the water before grabbing the showerhead and damping his hair fully, pushing it back like he was in a goddamn hair commercial. San couldn’t help but stare, Seonghwa was vibrantly mesmerizing like a dream coming true, materializing. 

“Do you want me to wet your hair?” Seonghwa offered as he pointed the head to his own hair just to feel the water run down him.

“Yes, please.” 

Without warning, San was struck with the water right on his face, before Seonghwa scooted closer and got on his knees to properly do it. San coughed the water out that got into his nose but didn’t protest. The water temperature was slightly colder but it was welcome as the bathroom was slightly stuffy. Seonghwa ruffled San’s hair once and twice before sitting on his side of the tub again. 

The setting awoke the memories of the night Seonghwa popped out of the tattoo, definitely the most surreal night of his entire life. 

“Seonghwa, don’t doze off.” San shook him by the knee, the dragon whining in response. 

“Fine, I won’t.” He settled for playing with the water, rippling waves against the tub walls. “Oh! You promised me you would talk about all the things I wanted to learn about! Can we do it now?”

“Right now?” The expression in Seonghwa’s face began to diminish when San let his hesitance show. Any talk sharing a bathtub, very naked, was meant to turn embarrassing in a few seconds. “Okay, shoot. I’ll answer everything.”

“Splendid!” Seonghwa clapped his hands before straightening his back, adjusting his legs to hug his knees. The droplets running down his skin were so sinful. “So, about Wooyoung… Explain how you see his stance towards me.”

“Okay so… He asked you on a date, right?” Seonghwa nodded. “That’s the only evidence you need to conclude he’s into you. He’s interested in you.”

“But interested in what aspect? Being my friend?”

“Not really. I mean, also that. But not entirely.”

“Oh. He wants sex!”

“I wouldn’t be so blunt about it but yes, that too.” 

The bathroom was filled with silence as Seonghwa took that in. 

“He wants to do things with me? I mean, the things you do with someone if they’re attracted to you, love you or are skilled?”

“Yeah. But he could have feelings for you too! I don’t know about that.”

“What do you say to someone you like?”

“It’s easier if I ask you what kind of things you two talk about.”

“Well, random things really. He talks about his day, sometimes sends pictures of what he's eating or photos of him. When I don’t know what he’s talking about, I google it instead of blowing my cover. Ain’t I smart!”

“Yes, very! So there’s nothing suggestive about your conversations? Maybe he really is interested in you. Romantically, I mean.”

“Well, I don’t know how suggestive this is but…” Seonghwa paused, wearing an intrigued expression. “Yesterday, he sent a mirror selfie without wearing a shirt. I told him he has a great physique, perfect for taekwondo. He asked me to send him one too but then I got distracted because we were cooking, remember? It was around that time. So I ended up not sending anything.”

“Holy shit, that’s very straightforward.” 

“Wow.” Seonghwa laughed, the sound being unexpected by San. “I don’t find it funny, I’m just perplexed by my own lack of notion! What would have happened if I had sent a picture like that to him?”

“I guess that depends on you.” San was sent a confused glare. “Did you even want to send a picture to him? No, it’s better if I’m super blunt or we will start confusing each other. Do you feel the same for Wooyoung?”

“Hm…” Seonghwa began drawing random lines on the surface of the water with his index, chewing the inside of his mouth in search of a clear answer. “I don’t know. I guess I don’t.”

San hid the victorious smile his lips were prompting, not wanting to admit how relieved his tense shoulders instantly felt.

“You gave me three reasons for people to do stuff together and if I apply those to him: I don’t know if I’m attracted to him, I don’t love him and I don’t know if he’s skilled.”

“You’re making it so logical.”

“Then how do I know if I want to have sex with someone?”

“Well… explaining this kind of thing is difficult.” San gulped, trying so so hard to keep focused. The conversation was purely educational, he told himself. “You just… you just feel it. Your body reacts on its own to that kind of thing. Maybe you don’t know because you never went through it.”

“Well…” Seonghwa seemed to have something in his mind but stopped himself from letting it out. ”So, how does it feel!” San opened his mouth and closed it immediately. It was obvious Seonghwa wasn’t reading his mind because if he was he wouldn’t need to ask that question. “Why are you so red? Is it that embarrassing for you? Should I also be embarrassed to talk about this?”

“No! Not at all! I envy your openness, I truly do! I know you don’t judge me or find what I say weird but it’s still hard to talk about stuff like this. There’s nothing wrong with this kind of thing but we’re taught to be a prude and I never grew out of it. But let me think of a way to explain that to you.” 

Seonghwa reached forward to gently caress San’s hands that laid on the sides of the tub before slumping on the bathtub, water touching his chin and legs entering San’s space. 

A pair of round attentive eyes traveled across San’s body. It started from its distorted appearance through the still water to his emerged knees, his exposed chest, and the tattoo ever so still. His gaze lingered there for longer, recalling Mingi and how he met San. It had been a few months ago but it already felt like years had passed. Then, accentuated collarbones caught his attention, beautifully sculpted, and upwards was San’s sharp jawline, his dry lips from the changing weather, forming a troubled line Seonghwa had noticed before on occasions where San was focused. His eyes were also emanating a focused expression, locked in Seonghwa’s left knee, framed by wet dark eyelashes. His slicked-back hair was something new Seonghwa had never seen on San, he rarely styled his hair, so his gaze stayed there nearly swimming on it from how much he lost himself. Sometimes Seonghwa felt like he was swimming in a bottomless ocean when observing San, there were always so many details to memorize, so many eyelashes to count and so many warm hues to depict from his inviting lips. San was himself an ocean.

“This is an awful comparison but think of food: you like certain types of food so you want to eat them. I guess you could apply that to people. We all have preferences that make us attracted to the people who have them. It doesn’t have to be about physique though that’s the first stage of attraction you might experience with the people around you. If someone has something you like, you’re gonna be drawn to them. Say, you find people with green eyes attractive. If you see green-eyed people you might be drawn to them. But here’s the thing: just because you’re attracted to someone, it doesn’t mean you want to have sex with them. It just means you find them beautiful.”

“But how do I know if I want to have sex with people? I’m looking at someone and I can’t help but stare and absorb all their details. From that point, how do I reach the conclusion I want to have sex?”

“That’s such an organic thing in humans, I can’t describe that. You just… you look at someone and you think ‘I want to rearrange their guts’. Oh, no, that was super aggressive.”

“That was _hella_ aggressive!” Seonghwa laughed. “Humans are so primal!”

“But why is sex such a big deal?”

“It’s vital!” 

“Look, I understand the curiosity but don’t rush into anything. You still have plenty of time to try that kind of thing so… what I'm trying to say is that I’m worried. That you might get hurt.”

“How would I? Is sex dangerous?”

“It can be, but I’m also talking emotionally.”

“Right, sex is connected with emotions.”

“It doesn’t have to though.”

“Sex _can_ be connected to emotions. And it’s better if it is.”

“Yes, that’s it.”

“Wow! This is so interesting!” Seonghwa chuckled as he clapped his hands excitedly. “There’s also something else that’s picking my interest. What’s flirting? I searched it online because Wooyoung talked about it but … is it something you do with someone you’re attracted to?”

“Yeah, you flirt to lure them in. I guess Wooyoung has been flirting with you if he sends shirtless pics.”

“Oh. That’s flirting.”

“Yes. Like, direct flirting.”

“San!” Seonghwa slapped San’s knee before hiding his mouth with two shocked hands. ”I just realized that I’ve been flirting with you! All this time!” 

Suddenly the bathtub was filled with excitement as Seonghwa burst into roaring laughter, even whizzing, as he flapped his arms and kicked his feet, water refusing to stay inside the tub no more. San blushed madly, unsure if he preferred when Seonghwa didn’t know what he was doing. He couldn’t think a lot, he rarely saw Seonghwa laugh so wholeheartedly, so he tried to capture in his memories the photographic recollection of Seonghwa cackling with his eyes crinkled shut, lips parts showing his perfect pearly rows of teeth. 

“You’re so cute.”

“What did you say?” Still coming down from that laughing fit, Seonghwa hadn’t understood San’s mumbled words, which not even the latter had realized he had let out in a spur of the moment. 

“Nothing.”

“But the real question is!” Seonghwa wiped the tears off his face as he paused dramatically. ”Did you fall for my charms?”

“You mean your dick pics? Oh, totally, they’re super romantic and charming.”

“I knew it!”

“That was sarcasm, Seonghwa.”

“You’re so mean!” 

The dragon grunted with a huge pout over his lips. Before San could react Seonghwa turned on the showerhead and pointed it at San’s face again, this time very much on purpose. San yelped while blocking the freezing streams of water with his hands to which Seonghwa rose to his knees to hit him in other angles.

“Seonghwa!” San struggled until he finally fetched the showerhead from the other’s hand (San could swear he heard him squeak). Turning the water off, San deflated Seonghwa back to a sitting position again.

“No! Give it back! I’m punishing you!” One more arm swing and Seonghwa plopped on the tub with crossed arms, defeated. 

“You should do one of your very scary growls then.”

“You know these weak human vocal cords can’t reproduce my terrifying cries of war!”

“Ah! You admitted it!” 

“Stop teasing me, you’re always getting on my nerves- wait a minute. Isn’t that flirting?” San gasped. Seonghwa was dangerously perceptive. “No, it is! Sannie!”

“I-” Even if San had something coherent to answer, Seonghwa was too thrilled by the realization. San didn’t even do it on purpose, sometimes it was that easy to tease Seonghwa and he was too weak to resist not doing so. 

“Oh my God! You have been flirting with me all this time too! How the turned have tables.”

“That doesn't even make sense!”

“I saw it on the internet, I'm cool and I keep up with the youth.” San rolled his eyes at the smug way the dragon showed him his tongue. “So, is this when we kiss? No! This is the part where I say ‘Oh, you wanna kiss me so bad’ and then you… I don’t know what’s supposed to happen after that, I saw this on Twitter.com.”

“No, now is the time where I get the shampoo and finish this bath.” San grabbed the bottle, squeezing some product out, and began washing his short hair briskly, eyes locked everywhere but at Seonghwa, who kept giggling and kicking his feet.

“I misjudged the situation.” San halted for a moment, shampoo dribbling down his face. “I’m supposed to say ‘I wanna kiss you so bad’. Right?”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about!” San shook his head in disbelief, the voice kept in a scoff but heart beating so fast at all those mentions of kissing. Seonghwa couldn’t even imagine how much San wanted that.

“You don’t know these expressions? What! Keep up!” The shampoo was picked one more time as Seonghwa also started washing his hair. That was one of his favorite human sensations: all kinds of touches on his hair. He practically felt in heaven that time San washed his hair, he wished he would do it again.

“Wow, the turned really tabled.” 

Another set of giggles escaped from Seonghwa, unleashing a swarm of butterflies in San’s like a wildfire, mushing his insides, and making San feel inexplicable things.

“Rinse my hair too!” San had just finished rinsing his own, shifting to help Seonghwa out. His hair was so long, Seonghwa had shaped the soaped hair on his head but as soon as the jet of water hit him, the locks fell in a cascade of hair, so soft and light, San was sure his own hair never had been that healthy and beautiful. “You know, flirting is really fun. I send all those pictures to annoy you but-”

“None of that counted because you didn’t mean it though. I knew that so I didn’t take any of it seriously.” Seonghwa couldn’t help but shiver whenever San touched his hair and neck, so delicately, as if it could break on his grip. 

“That means that from now if I send you any, it’s all on purpose.” Red smeared across San’s cheeks, he wished Seonghwa hadn’t turned his head to make eye contact. “If you want to, of course.”

“Seonghwa, I just told you what flirting means. And where it can lead.”

“Come on! You think of fucking me sometimes, you don’t have to feel shy about it.” The way Seonghwa snorted while stating that completely threw San off. If only he could find a hole to bury himself in. “If we flirt it would be for both of us. Or you don’t want to? No, of course, you want to! You have very vivid images of us doing that kind of stuff, why wouldn’t you want to flirt. Maybe I also wanna have sex with you, who knows? You have to find out! See? I’m so good at flirting, we’re gonna have so much fun now that I know what I’m doing.” 

San’s head screamed at his mouth to produce a ‘no’. Just a simple no! However, his nerves weren’t working, petrified with the information overdrive. He really was about to have a heart attack if Seonghwa didn’t stop playing with him.

Without a verbal answer, Seonghwa hummed a random melody until San finished rinsing him. It was low and muffled by the sound of the running water but San caught him chuckling to himself and saying: “My charms are irresistible.”. 

Yes, he was completely screwed. 

[10:24] Seonghwa: I’m going out shopping as you nagged me to do.

[10:30] San: Finally. I know you don’t like clothes but you have to own some too. Also buy shoes Ask for help if you need

[10:31] Seonghwa: of course I will ask for help? Humans are my servants, it’s only natural for them to help me 

[10:31] San: my bad, I forgot who I was talking about

[10:32] Seonghwa: How could you? :((((

[10:39] San: send pics of the things if you want my opinion or something

[10:40] Seonghwa: no no no Ill buy and show you later at home ihih!!

[10:42] San: okay 

[10:43] Seonghwa: hello??? Why do you sound uninterested?

[10:43] San: I’m not? 

[10:44] Seonghwa: maybe if you used more emojis

[10:45] San: MaYbE iF YoU UsEdD MoRe EmoJIsSs

[10:45] Seonghwa: omg stop flirting ahah 

[10:45] San: that wasn’t flirting??

[10:46] Seonghwa: I just assume you’re always flirting tbh

[10:46] San: what??? Wtv do what you want I have class now bye and BE RESPONSIBLE WITH MY MONEY 

[10:47] Seonghwa: I am responsible, yes, I have your card with me

[10:47] San: YOU KNOW THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT

[10:47] Seonghwa: the emojis!!!!

[13:03] Seonghwa: so… can I buy something? 

[13:03] San: it depends? What is it?

[13:03] Seonghwa: it’s a surprise

[13:05] San:.... how much is it?

[13:05] Seonghwa: it’s certainly a fair amount

[13:05] San: I told you we don’t need a food processor

[13:05] Seonghwa: it’s not that!! Just say yes, it will be worth our money! 10000% guaranteed!

[13:20] Seonghwa: thank you <3 you’re gonna love it!

“I didn’t say yes!” San sighed exasperatedly after greeting Seonghwa. The latter had just returned home from having coffee with Yunho, who he found randomly. “Did you even thank Yunho for driving you home? I know he’s your servant but he doesn’t know.”

“Yes, don’t worry, he loves me. And why are you so worked up? It’s fine, you can earn the money back again, who cares.” At least five paper bags were projected to the bed. Normally it was Seonghwa that greeted the other but that day San had gotten home earlier. He worked at the desk in the bedroom, a sign that he was desperate to make some progress. 

“You’re unbelievable.” San scoffed, tensing for a second when Seonghwa threw his arms around his shoulders from behind. 

“I know.” A low snicker tickled San’s sensitive neck. He was holding himself to not melt right there. “You’re working today.”

“Yes,” San answered curtly. “Grading tests. I have like ten more to go. But you still haven’t told me what you bought.”

“Tomorrow.” Seonghwa twirled to the side of the desk, leaning on it with a hand on it, an elated smile twisting the corner of his lips. “Tomorrow you will know.”

“Oh my God, how big is it if it’s being delivered? I’m going bankrupt because of you.” Upon the whiny tone, Seonghwa cooed, going as far as pinching San’s cheek. 

“Look at you, being dramatic.” 

“If I have no money, how will I feed you?”

“Now, that’s a problem.” 

“Are you being sarcastic to me right now? We sure have come a long way.” 

“I’m learning with you!” Again, Seonghwa stood behind San only for this time to shake him by the shoulders, as if that would accelerate the process. “Anyway, finish that! Quickly! I want to show you my new clothes!” 

“If you stopped shaking me maybe I could!”

“See? Always so sarcastic and bitter. No fun.” Seonghwa ruffled San’s hair, faltering for a moment but inevitably closing their distance and kissing San on the cheek. It was quick but enough for San to flinch, slowly raising his hand to touch that patch of blessed skin. Meanwhile, Seonghwa covered his mouth despite not containing a high pitched squeal, even bouncing on the spot. “That website was right!”

“What- What website? What are you searching for on the internet?”

“It’s none of your business, Sannie.” Getting defensive, Seonghwa pinched the same cheek he kissed. Was San seeing things or was Seonghwa embarrassed? “Can I do this more often?”

“Kissing? But why would you?” San let out dumbly, not even processing what was being asked.

“Because I want to.” The simplicity of that reasoning stung. “But you don’t.” Seonghwa mouthed awkwardly.

“It’s not that.”

“Outrageous! Who do you think you are to reject such a mighty spirit like me!” Although San knew Seonghwa was merely joking about it, he wasn’t able to keep his mouth shut. 

“That’s precisely why.” It came out as a mutter but Seonghwa heard.

“What does that mean?” He asked, softer, tilting his head in confusion.

“Seonghwa…” San sounded pained, uncomfortable to touch the topic that had been replaying nonstop for the past weeks in his head. However, he had decided he wouldn’t keep running from those types of situations. He already knew what would happen if he did. “I don’t know, I don’t think it’s right.”

“How so? If I don’t see a problem with it why wouldn’t it be right?” 

“Yeah.” San smiled weakly, nodding too. “You’re right.”

“I know you want it too.” The words were suggestive but the intonation used was void of second thoughts. Shifting San’s chair to face the bed, Seonghwa sat on its edge showing his palms for San to grab them. “So, why is it an issue? Why is it not easy?”

“Humans… make everything complicated.”

“This isn’t complicated, so don’t turn it complicated.” Seonghwa shrugged, almost as if San’s problems weren’t worth being thought of. His carelessness never reached that stage of apathy though. “Are you even aware of why I’m not asking Wooyoung for this or why I canceled our date?”

“You don’t feel attracted to him.”

“No, I don’t trust him. That’s all.”

“But you don’t know him, how are you supposed to trust him if you don’t even try to get to know him?”

“You almost sound like you wanted me to go on a date, after all. Days ago you were all jealous and protective.”

“No, no…” San didn’t even know what he was denying. 

“He doesn’t matter. At least not as much as you. What I’m trying to say is that I trust you and I don’t want to search anywhere else for the kind of trust we have already. I have known Yunho for months and I can’t seem to trust him as much as I trust you. You know what I’m saying?”

“Sounds like I’m special.” The voice was unbothered but San’s heartbeat was loud and achingly fast, racing for all the things Seonghwa shared. He never was afraid to show his emotions whilst San felt afraid of something vague, something that has accompanied him all his life, something so intrinsic to humans that Seonghwa wouldn’t get the chance to experience it. Lucky for him.

“You are. To me, at least. So why can’t you let go of your insecurities?” Seonghwa asked earnestly, a question that could only be made from someone like him. San scoffed but it wasn’t a sour sound of offense.

“If it was that easy.”  
“Well, I’m not going anywhere. For now.” Seonghwa reassured him but San put the emphasis on the ‘for now’. San didn’t recall how he felt living alone, without Seonghwa. If anything, it was such a dull living that nothing possibly remained from those years. Yet, Seonghwa filled his house with the domesticity, the comfort he didn’t know he needed but didn’t have. “You have a lot of time.”

“With you, I don’t.” 

Even though Seonghwa was with him, the fact that he would be left all by himself in less than a year agonized him much more than expected. He had repressed those useless thoughts, after all, there was a lot of time left. It was ridiculous to worry about it now. But with the path the conversation took, the way Seonghwa’s sparkly eyes illuminated by the desk lamp, the warmth of his caring hands on the loneliness of his own, the tingling trail he left wherever he touched... Everything about Seonghwa, Seonghwa himself, It would be all gone. As if nothing happened. Someday. Not that day. But it would be someday. And that was enough to turn San’s insides into a wrenching slush, body revolting to the brutal actuality and heart and mind dueling over the overwhelming amounts of feelings drowning inside him. 

“Are you crying?” The question was verbalized in spite of the visible answer. Timid tears fell on top of their intertwined hands.

“No!” How didn’t San realize sooner how attached he had grown to the other?

“I didn’t know you liked me that much.” 

“Stop…” How didn’t Seonghwa realize how much San loved him by now?

“Can I hug you?” San didn’t reply with words, opting to throw himself into the other’s arms without hesitating.

The bed creaked from the sudden distributed weight. San laid on top of Seonghwa, crushing the latter’s ribcage with his elbow in a mess of limbs. But Seonghwa didn’t protest, merely shifting so that San nuzzled his face all over his shirt, mentally denying all the small sobs leaving his trembling mouth.

Another melody of weeping followed the original, catching San off guard. He raised his head to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. And somehow he wished he was for Seonghwa’s crying face only ripped his poor heart apart even more. 

“Why are you-” Stammering, San reached to touch the other’s wet cheek, feeling watched and he couldn’t believe even at this time his insides would be fluttering that much. He felt consumed with sadness but all those years were also pent up from the past. 

“I don’t know!” Seonghwa laughed as he dried his cheeks with the sweater sleeves. “Seeing you cry makes me cry.”

“But seeing you cry makes me cry too…” And another dozen of heavy tears escaped from San, who immediately lowered his head again, embarrassed of letting his feelings come out so raw, so exposed and so truthful. 

“Well, I guess we’re going to cry forever then.” He felt consumed with sadness, however, wrapped in those doting arms, breathing that familiar scent, listening to that mellow voice it was almost as if all those negative emotions left, afraid of the dragon. Soothed, that was the word.

It took a while for San to calm down, remaining so still in the other’s embrace. Seonghwa was right, he still had time. _They_ still had time. Looking back, time seemed to have run but the present was ever so slow, nearly infinite. 

“Do you know what butterfly kisses are?” Seonghwa nodded, understanding what San wanted.

They still had time in the present. And in that present, San would learn how to let go, hold on to what was real, what felt real, and what really mattered. 

They shifted to a sitting position where San was on Seonghwa’s lap, mind so shattered by the _tsunami_ of sensations that he couldn’t even be embarrassed or feel shy. They looked into each other’s eyes, sharing a look brimming with spoken and unspoken feelings before San fluttered his own pair shut and let Seonghwa kiss his tears from his eyelids, eyelashes, cheeks, away, burning all those bruised concerns and letting those ashes be the start of something new, more hopeful.

And all that mattered was Seonghwa.

The next day, San pointed back and forth to Seonghwa and the _thing_ multiple times before his mouth recovered from the shock. 

In front of the bookshelves, right where the sunlight hit the floor at sunset, sat Seonghwa, a crimson silky cardigan draped over his body to the hardwood floor, serene face framed by a perfect braid hanging from his shoulder. In front of him was a _gayageum_ , like the one he used to play at the temple. 

“No, stop.” Seonghwa shushed San before he could even mutter any words of shock. “Sit and listen.” 

Not resisting, vacant steps towards the sofa were taken. San sat straight, nervousness sipping in from all the memories the _gayageum_ resurfaced, surprisingly, the best he had. Seonghwa placed the instrument on his lap, gently pushed the first cord, and reproduced a traditional song that San was familiar with. 

It had been a while since he had heard that melody but it hadn’t been forgotten, his foot tapped lightly on the floor to the rhythm. Seonghwa played beautifully as if he had been playing for years now, even closing his eyes and letting his body take over. There really wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. 

San also closed his eyes but his mind let the _gayageum_ be background noise of the distracting voices inside his mind, reminding him of their conversation in the bathtub. 

_’Maybe I also want to flirt with you.’_

Lately, that had been the only thing he thought of, it only got worse when it was time for bed, cuddling turned San’s head in a mush. At that moment, to the superb sound of the _gayageum_ , San thought of Seonghwa and his words.

_’I trust you and I don’t want to search anywhere else for the kind of trust we have already’_

The song was long but the minutes passed quickly. The last note prolonged itself in their ears, swooning them into a hypnotizing reticence. San rose from the sofa and sat cross-legged in front of Seonghwa. 

“Hand me it.” With caution, San shifted the instrument to his lap. He hadn’t played in ten years but he wondered where spontaneity could take him. 

Opting for another piece, their ears were filled with hesitant strummed notes who blossomed into confident ones that widened Seonghwa’s eyes and gaped his mouth in a perfect ‘o’. He silenced the incoming string of surprised exclamations though, restraining himself to merely sitting closer and observing San’s face instead of looking at his hands. He had a habitual face of focus except he too played with closed eyes. Lips formed a thin line, and the torso bent to pluck the articulated notes of the side that rested on the floor and far from his arms reach. 

It almost seemed like San had never stopped playing, the songs he thought he had forgotten were still in the back of his mind, having reemerged at the first strummed string of the instrument. His mind went blank for a stretched second but he kept playing by instinct and gradually he seemed to be teleported to another dimension where he was assaulted by images of his performances at the temple. Young San was taught to play by his mother because he really insisted on it. Those were the fondest memories he kept from his mother and from the temple, the soothing and authoritative notes produced by the _gayageum_ leaving him sentimental. It was the first time San had felt melancholic about home.

Just another thing to be added to the immense list of things Seonghwa awakened in him. 

“You know how to play.” Seonghwa obtusely mouthed, taken aback. 

“Is there anything I can’t do?” The cocky smile wrinkled his face in all the right ways, he was nearly beaming with it. Seonghwa rolled his eyes. “I can teach you more.”

“Yes, yes, a million times yes!” Seonghwa hugged him briefly before getting up. He smelled like home and comfort.

“Is that women’s lingerie?” Upon rising from the floor, San realized what Seonghwa wore underneath the vests. 

“Yes, _lingerie_. Doesn’t say anywhere it’s for women.” Seonghwa stated matter-of-factly before dramatically letting the cardigan slide over his shoulders to show the matching crimson silk lingerie set he had bought the day before. He looked absolutely delicious, skin tone contrasting delightfully with the set. The sight was maddening.

“Yeah, sure but…” His mouth ran dry, staring for much longer than he should. The robe hid most of his body but also accentuated Seonghwa’s sensuality. “You didn’t show me this yesterday.” 

“I did not,” Seonghwa smirked before lowering his body to be at eye level with San, so close, _too close_. “I wanted to surprise you. Thought you would appreciate my rare appreciation for clothes. Do you?”

“I mean-”

“I know you do but I want to hear you say it. That would make me so so _so_ happy.”

“You’re a demon.” 

“How dare you!” Seonghwa gasped, grabbing San by the shirt collar and shaking him frantically. In that sudden moment of ferocity, Seonghwa nearly supported his body weight on top of the instrument to which San immediately fought back to make him fall back. 

“What was that for!”

“You nearly destroyed the _gayageum_ just now!” San exclaimed before carefully picking it and putting on the table. “Be careful with it!”

“It would be your fault!” Seonghwa huffed to the nagging, getting closer to san and pushing him by the collar again. He had unbuttoned one of San’s buttons by accident. San could almost find the minty scent of his breath by how close they were. He collected all the resistance he found in himself to not lose his gaze on Seonghwa’s lips. “Now, can I keep shaking you until you take that back?”

“What were we even talking about?”

Seonghwa clicked his tongue. “You’re always like this.” San wished he could smooch the pout out of him. Well, he could. Couldn’t he? 

But he wouldn’t. 

“Kiss my nose.” A fiery hue urged to San’s cheeks at the sudden request. Had Seonghwa read his thoughts? Widened eyes pondered for a short moment.

_’We have time.’_

San craned his neck but he didn’t need to because as Seonghwa pulled him by the collar, they hit each other’s noses with a clumsiness only the two of them could achieve. Seonghwa let out a roar of laughter before calming down and pushing himself closer to San once more, the latter not even noticing that he had taken a step back. 

A rush of confidence emerged out of the blue inside San, compelling him to hold Seonghwa by the nape of his neck. The dragon let out a small yelp out of surprise at the abrupt strength latched, letting San plant a chaste kiss on the tip of his nose, blushing red instantly. 

“Again?” The plea sounded way more mellow than intended but Seonghwa didn’t indulge in it as San just got closer one, two, and three times, becoming addicted to that euphoria Seonghwa provided him. Every time. 

The dragon let out an excited giggle trying to wiggle away from San but he just reached forward, caging him with his arms and leaving kisses everywhere. And at last, after a moment of static in the middle of the frenzy, Seonghwa lurched forward and stole a kiss from San. From his lips. It was quick. Floaty. Magical. Delirious. Could a faint touch of lips feel _that_ good? San couldn't believe but what his heart felt was more than real. 

Then San stole a kiss from Seonghwa, less quick and less floaty. But it didn’t last enough. It was still a small peck, even though it felt much more than that. 

Seonghwa at that covered his embarrassed face before dropping it on San’s shoulder, the latter struggling to keep himself present and standing, legs shaking. 

They kissed. _They kissed._ It had happened seconds ago and San already felt like he had dreamed of it instead. And yet, his lips still tingled. 

Seonghwa had such a dreamy expression over his features, hazy as he bit his lip, still gawking at San's lips. He had read online about kissing and about love and the article in question told him that kissing someone he loved would give him an indescribable sensation, million things at the same time and everything would feel tingly all over. But Seonghwa experienced so much more. His whole body was pliant after the short kiss, his chest burned but it wasn't painful, it just felt tight, like something awaited to be released. His head screamed for more of that taste but his body wasn't responding as if in trance. He just felt rooted, completely dumbstruck by that level of affection they had just reached. Was that how humans always felt after kissing their lover? Could he even consider San his lover? No, it was too early but someday, perhaps. 

He was taken back to the day they bathed together and now he could say he understood San's words. He had never felt that aroused, and yet, so full of love. He wanted to drown on San's lips, turn one with him and ascend in all ways possible. With him. 

It all made sense.

“Your thoughts are a mess.” Seonghwa finally let go of his collar, walking around the table to strum a random note. San merely observed him go. When he finally raised his head, the latter instantly noticed a slight blush over his complexion, doubting himself for a moment there. Was he seeing things? Was himself the same kind of red?

“I wonder whose fault is that.” The giggle he received as a response bloomed yet another beautiful flower inside.

The afternoon was clear, just slightly windy. No matter, Seonghwa had braided his hair again and it only rustled whenever the breeze met the light strands. The sun wasn’t strong despite the mild temperature, it was the perfect day to concretize one of Seonghwa’s wishes to go on a picnic. San could still hear the excitement of when he asked San for them to go on one upon watching a picnic vlog.

So they laid a picnic blanket San didn’t remember he owned in a park near their house, and Seonghwa took care of displaying the food as desired.

“Why isn’t our picnic aesthetic?”

“Aestheticism is relative. This seems pretty okay.”

“I don’t know… it doesn’t look good in the pictures I take.” Seonghwa mumbled as he tried to take photos from various angles in hopes of finding the perfect one. “We should have brought the camellias!”  
Before coming to the park, Seonghwa dragged San to the supermarket in order to get the most essential items for a successful picnic. That included a cheese board, they purchased five different types of cheese, crackers, grapes, juice, even a whole baguette! From home, they brought the chocolate cake Seonghwa had baked that day. There was definitely too much food but Seonghwa didn’t settle for less, explaining that Yunho would join them later and he ate for two. So the picnic blanket at its rustic red and white checkered pattern was nearly covered in plastic plates and also the wooden cutting board Seonghwa insisted on bringing from home to display the cheese. 

San had never gone on a picnic, it wasn’t something that particularly picked his interest but now that he sat on one edge of the blanket, under a yellowish willow tree from which wilted leaves lazily covered the grass below, he saw the value on it. The first thing Seonghwa had done was to pick up one of the leaves and show it to San, as its color and stale composition fascinated him. Yeah, picnics had to be worth it.

“No way, they wouldn’t survive the trip here. You’re already lucky I had a woven basket laying around.”

“Actually, can I use this basket to carry my things? It’s so pretty, I want to use it to go to taekwondo.” 

“The basket is still pretty despite being old because I rarely use it. If you start taking it everywhere… at least not to taekwondo. Don’t put anything from taekwondo inside it, they always reek after your lessons.”

Seonghwa huffed in response before he took one last picture and plopped cross-legged on the other side of the blanket as it kept being elevated by the wind. 

“No need to point out my sweat glands’ extravagance.” 

“From all the things, _that’s_ what makes you embarrassed?”

“Yes, we get it. I’m not like the others.” Seonghwa stole a grape from the bunch before continuing talking, a pretentious smile adorning his delicate features. “I’m the Dragon King.”

From the basket, San took out the book he had been on and off reading for months. As Seonghwa wanted to bring one too, San handed him the one he protested at first. The book selected was a compilation of Korean tales, fables, passed by generations, and written in a simple language made for children. Seonghwa had only accepted that ridiculous choice since one of the stories was about the dragons. 

Despite having been on earth for so long, San had still not asked Seonghwa much regarding his celestial life. The moment never seemed appropriate, other times he was too tired. There were always excuses that dragged the questions for too long. Seonghwa too didn’t know substantially about the human perception of him so he could start with that story. 

In the rustling silence of dancing leaves and distant voices from other people at the park, they began the reading. It didn’t take long for San to lay on the blanket, momentarily unfocusing off the book to crush leaves with his foot. Seonghwa remained still, immersed in the narrative that San knew so well.

The story consisted of an archer being visited in his dreams by a yellow dragon that lived in the archer’s village pond. The dragon asked him to come to the pond to shoot the blue dragon he had been fighting day and night over the power of the pond. After hesitating, the archer ended shooting the blue dragon as pleaded. In another dream, the yellow dragon appeared once more telling the archer it would give him the pond water to turn the dry soil of the village into a promising rice field. It was a common story passed from family to family, used to depict their mythological importance to the people, its power had been the reason for the village’s prosperity, and the relationship dynamic between earthlings and these heavenly creatures.

San knew that tale, as his mother told him many times when he was young and still mesmerized by the Dragon, as he knew many others. 

“San… nevermind, you’re reading.”

“No, that’s alright. What’s up?”

“This story about the dragons fighting is absolute gibberish.” The brutal honesty in Seonghwa’s tone made San throw his head back into a laughter fit.

“Of course it is, you really thought we knew about you and other dragons?”

“I mean… Frankly, now that I think about I don’t see what I expected.”

“Everything humans know about dragons and other mythical creatures is just gibberish as you said. These notions come from old times, where things were passed by storytelling, art, and, when the Chinese writing system arrived in Korea, from scrolls. The interesting part of it is to understand how these old societies shaped our culture with their beliefs.”

“I had never thought of it that way... “

“That’s why I like the early times the most. It has passed so many centuries from the beginning of our civilization but their imprint is still visible in our days, it’s amazing! If only our ancestors knew how much they shaped our country… I wish I could talk to my ancestors, especially from early times! The more you regress in time, the fewer sources you can find and rely on. I would love to know about their life first hand, most sources of information that survived to this day are not most reliable. And, well, most artifacts are open for interpretation but as time passes, our own views also contribute to their values. It’s hard not to be transparent when our morals are modeled from the times we live in, not from when the artifacts were produced- ah. Sorry, I just rambled.”

“Don’t apologize, your eyes sparkle so much when you talk about things like this. Go on.” Seonghwa encouraged him with a genuine interest on his face. San’s heart backflipped a few times, the validation warming his cheeks up. 

“It’s fine, I already lost my trail of thought. But these types of stories of humans and creatures interacting are very important to us. The archer could only make a huge rice field with the water the yellow dragon offered him but he also only had access to it because he helped out in keeping the blue dragon at bay. See how we’re so entangled in each other? It’s like we can’t exist without the other.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“Seems like there’s some truth to it.”

“Maybe the message behind these silly tales. But humans could not interact with us that easily.”

“That’s why it’s just folklore.” Noticing how San hadn’t touched any of the food, Seonghwa broke off a smaller stick of grapes off the bunch and handed it to San to which he accepted with a shy smile. How could he be so caring, San wondered. “But since we’re talking about dreams with dragons...”

“Yes, I can enter your dreams.”

“I knew it.”

“But I can’t control any of it. What happens is all a product of your head.”

“I… see. And can you remember them?” That was the dreaded question that had San jolt awake at random times.

“Not clearly. It’s not as easy as reading your thoughts and besides, I’m also sleeping, not exactly focusing on popping up in your head. What are your dreams like when I’m there?”

“It doesn’t happen often. But the first time it happened you grabbed and swallowed me whole. That was the last thing I saw before I woke up. Ah, yes, you’re a dragon in those dreams. You’re red and huge! So tall, I have never seen anything as tall as you.”

“I’m not exactly sure if that’s my true form or your own depiction of what dragons are supposed to be though. But why would I eat you?” Seonghwa giggled at the thought of literally eating San. What barbaric thing.

“Hell if I know.”

“Your dreams are weird.” The dragon chuckled before opening the book, flipping through it to find the dragon story.

“If only you knew.” 

“What?”

“Nothing. Oh, that’s Yunho over there!”

“Huh? That’s not him. Just because he’s tall…” Seonghwa trailed while scoffing, unaware of how successful San’s distraction tactic had been. “Look at the dragons! Where are their horns!”

“Actually that type of dragon is what we call _imugi_ and they’re not full dragons yet, hence the lack of horns.” Pointing to the illustrations of the children’s book, San noticed their simplicity. 

“Without the horns, they look like snakes with limbs.”

“Because dragons are linked with water. Remember how our folklore says the Dragon King lives in a palace underwater? And the dragons from the story are both keepers of bodies of water.”

“Oh, wow! I guess the water was really important for the people that thought of these tales.” Seonghwa flipped through the pages, looking more closely at the drawings. 

“Yes, because the population consisted of farmers and they needed water for their crops. It’s only natural for deities to be related to the most important thing in their lives, don’t you think?”

“Yes…” Seonghwa nodded slowly before closing the book once more, picking up another grape and chewing it absent-mindedly. San imitated him, observing a leaf floating to the ground in front of him. “Humans are fascinating creatures.”

“And you- I mean, the existence of real non-earthlings is just as fascinating. If not more. If people knew...”

“This world functions well because humans don’t know about us. There’s a separation between us that shouldn’t be transgressed. You’re the only exception because you’re connected to the heavens.”

“Am I…?”

“Of course! You’re my earth guardian! And we’re connected by the tattoo.“ Seonghwa meant to touch the tattoo but the jacket San was wearing was too thick. San understood. “You’re not a mere human anymore.”

“So… there’s no separation between us?”

A chuckle left Seonghwa’s lips so naturally as if knowing something San didn’t. 

“We’re bound, Sannie.”

[18:02] Seonghwa: I’m done with taekwondo. I’m just gonna change!

[18:03] San: okay, I’m stuck in traffic. Can Yunho stay with you for a bit? I swear I’m not that far away

[18:03] Seonghwa: He said we’re going to get smoothies at the shop next door, is that alright?

[18:04] San: ofc, I want blueberry

[18:04] Seonghwa: who said we were getting you something… :P

[18:04] San: :((

[18:09] Seonghwa: AN EMOTICON!!! Aw baby boy is sad 

[18:10] San: baby boy???

[18:10] Seonghwa: yes you’re acting like a baby, boy

[18:10] San: you know exactly what baby boy implies hwa

[18:10] Seonghwa: eheh, JUST HURRY UP RUN OVER A RED LIGHT IM STARVING AND WE’RE STILL DOING GROCERIES

[18:11] San: buy something to eat then, it’s the rush hour I can’t run over cars

[18:11] Seonghwa: leave the car there and come

[18:14] Seonghwa: [photo]

[18:14] Seonghwa: got you raspberry because you’re not here on time

[18:15] San: aren’t you all lovey-dovey with Yunho

[18:15] Seonghwa: this could be us but you’re in the middle of traffic

[18:15] San: :((

[18:15] Seonghwa: you want it that much? ;)

[18:18] San: yes :( I haven’t had a smoothie in a while

[18:18] Seonghwa: your smoothie is going down the drain!!!

It was already pitch black at that hour of the afternoon. With the weather getting colder, San got out of the car after putting a huge muffler around his neck, fearing what a simple chilly breeze could do to his sensitive throat. He had found a good parking spot nearby, instantly finding Seonghwa and Yunho, who sat on the steps of the center. That morning, San nagged Seonghwa for him to wear a beanie before leaving and it surprisingly worked.

“You took your sweet time!” Was the first thing Seonghwa shouted while San walked closer to them, having Yunho release a chuckle. By then, he should be used to Seonghwa’s antics.

“Next time I will yell at everyone to get out of my way because I’m late to pick up the prince.” Seonghwa huffed as he handed the smoothie to him, turned out it was blueberry after all. San continued talking after taking a small sip. “Sorry for making you wait too, Yunho.”

“No, it’s okay! That way I could get all of the freshest tea from your roomie.” 

San frowned, unsure what kind of thing Seonghwa could have possibly disclosed. There were too many things that weren’t normal for only two roommates. Nevertheless, Yunho might have caught something had been going on anyway, he knew too much.

“Tea about…?” 

“You, of course!” 

“Is my life ‘tea’-worthy at all?” 

“From the things I heard, it’s quite dramatic.”

“Someone makes it dramatic for me.” There was no subtlety intended in the way San hunched his body forward in Seonghwa’s direction. It only made the latter gasp in false offense. 

“Preposterous!” Getting up from the stairs, Seonghwa hooked his arm around San’s before pushing him. “We have groceries to do and I want to go home, I’m starving and sweaty!”

The other men laughed at the outburst and went on their ways with promises to hang out soon. Seonghwa and San walked at the former's speed, who speed-walked down the street, arms still hooked. San couldn't nearly drink his smoothie without the fear of spilling by how fast they strutted. 

"Slow down, I can't drink it this way." To that Seonghwa halted abruptly which almost resulted in the scenario San was preventing. "This isn't just hunger, you're freezing." 

“That’s because I haven’t gotten my daily cheek kiss!”

“Seonghwa, you claimed it this morning.”

“That’s because I haven’t gotten my daily cheek _kisses_!” San sighed, portraying a false annoyance. 

Halting their way in front of a closed shop, the light coming from the inside was dim but illuminated Seonghwa’s face just enough. San reached close for Seonghwa but, he should have seen it coming, the latter turned his head and instead claimed a kiss from lips. Another of those pecks that got San’s spine to crawl in an electrifying way. If a singular peck was enough to leave San in that state of breathlessness, he would certainly perish if he ever managed to deepen it. He could only wish. 

And the coyness displayed in Seonghwa’s curled lips was so uncharacteristic as he normally was sure of himself, proud and inflated. San relished in those scarce moments of shyness. They were the moments Seonghwa seemed most human.

“Is the smoothie good? I’ll have to admit I took a small sip of it to try it out. Mine was strawberry-flavored. I think that’s my favorite fruit.”

“Yeah, it is…” San took a reluctant sip, dragging it out until he finished the drink. “Should we get some strawberries too? I’m not sure if they’re any tasty at this time of the year though.”

“No need, I’ll just get my dose of strawberries from those smoothies!” A strong wind greeted them harshly, to which Seonghwa trembled from head to foot, clasping his whole body on San’s arm.   
A quivering hand pulled back some loose strands of Seonghwa’s braid.

“My hair’s oily.” Seonghwa objected weakly but did not flinch away from San’s hand. Only when it tried to cup his cheek did Seonghwa avoid him. It made San frown in confusion as Seonghwa never rejected affection. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing, I'm just hungry." 

"No, you're definitely hiding something." San scanned through his figure wondering what could possibly be the answer. The streetlamp wasn't that bright but it was enough. As they stopped, Seonghwa began tapping the concrete with his right foot. "You're not wearing socks. Oh. I bet you're wearing a tee beneath that jacket." Seonghwa pursed his lips in reaction. "You're shirtless! Seonghwa! I told you today was going to be especially cold and why aren't you wearing anything?" 

"I don't like dressing in too many layers so I put the hoodie on the bag! If I'm wearing a jacket why do I need more!" 

"Because you're freezing! God, you're so stubborn for no reason.” Seonghwa squealed when San pulled his beanie down his face, dragging him along. “Let's go, quickly, before you die from hypothermia."

"What's that?" 

"It’s when you die because you're stupid." 

"I can't die!" 

"Love to know that's the part that upsets you."

Their grocery list wasn't long, however, coming to the supermarket with Seonghwa always meant that they would stop at random aisles for a quick introduction to random foods. If they seemed interesting, Seonghwa would want to try them. The trips there always took a while because of that and for that San had tasted every kind of ice cream available at that store. Sometimes the trips were also embarrassing or stress-inducing. San still remembers how his body petrified when Seonghwa emitted a loud sound of surprise, pointing to the condom section and asking, dismally in a blatant curiosity: “Are these what people use to have sex?” The elderly lady who was passing through that aisle probably didn’t sleep that night.

That day Seonghwa threw into the cart a bag of coffee beans in order to make his own coffee at home. San had warned him that he wouldn't like it because it's bitter but trying to bring some sense to Seonghwa was always a failed mission. So off they rolled through the store. 

Unfortunately, it was crowded as expected from that hour when nine to five people were still outside running their errands. Seonghwa absolutely despised crowded places, he stuck closer to San and didn’t run off as usual. 

“I heard of this thing called cold brew that is essentially iced coffee and I really want to try it.” The line took a while to disperse but soon San began putting their items on the belt, as Seonghwa helped but was more focused on talking. “I just need to grind the coffee, mix with water, and let it steep overnight! Pretty easy, huh? Then I can mix with milk, for example. Have you ever done it?”

“No, I usually drink my coffee hot and when I want iced coffee I go outside and buy it.” With everything out of the cart, they walked forward to put the scanned products back into it. Seonghwa had always expressed how dumb that was but still helped with the bags.

It was then that Seonghwa noticed the cashier, a young woman with silky hair tied in a bun who skillfully scanned every product with speed. So skillfully, she didn’t even look at what she was doing but at San, mouth curled into a bashful smile as if hiding her excitement. While Seonghwa's face rushed a boiled red since he had immediately caught on to what the cashier felt, San, on the other hand, was too preoccupied with the groceries. They had bought too many eggs for him to not worry. 

For a second Seonghwa stood there, unsure of what to do, clenched fists, and enraged even though the person hadn’t done anything at all. Until he noticed her biting her lip and batting her stupid big eyes at San upon asking the method of payment. Her delicate voice was also annoying. And like that Seonghwa learned what jealousy felt like. And he hated every inch of it.

“I’ll pay by card.” San smiled impassively, showing her his card. 

With panicked eyes glued to the card reader, San finally became aware of how the cashier was boring holes over his face with the constant staring. Instead, he glanced at Seonghwa, who still stood still like a statue, except his hands trembled in rage and- wow, that was actually happening.

The payment was done, Seonghwa immediately took command of the cart, which he never did (he was a king!), ready to stroll away far from her. But the woman handed San the card back with laziness unmatching the people waiting in line, even leaning forward and flashing a charming grin before asking:

“I’m not usually like this but you’re so hot, I can’t help myself. Can I have your number?” 

Before San could politely decline and resume his life, Seonghwa intervened, unable to contain his bitterness.

“No, you can’t. He belongs to me!” After Seonghwa growled, he actually _growled_ , at the cashier, he grabbed San by the arm and compelled him to face away. 

The shock he felt freezing his movements into an uncoordinated bending of knees wasn’t a consequence of being hit on but more due to the fact that Seonghwa made a huge scene, growled at someone, and practically manhandled him and the shopping cart out of the scene with a strength no human could execute. He wasn’t looking at the woman but he knew that her and the rest of the line, yes, Seonghwa yelled, must have been appalled at the sudden display of homosexuality in a public space. There was no other plausible way of interpreting Seonghwa’s possessive choice of words and he didn’t know if he could return to that supermarket anymore. 

Regardless, that was the least of his worries. From the exit to the car, Seonghwa hadn’t let go of his arm, still ranting in a small voice and never looking back. That definitely hit his animalistic side. The growl… it sounded nothing like the frail ones he had done before. It was ferocious, brimming of fury, asserting dominance even if completely unnecessary. And San was finding himself insane by feeling turned on by it. When Seonghwa said _He belongs to me._ he wasn’t kidding. 

San set himself free when they reached the car. He put the grocery bags on the floor of the back seats before installing himself on the driver’s seat. He eyed Seonghwa curiously, unsure of even what to say or do. He still was pretty agitated.

“You didn’t need to do that.” But it was so fucking hot.

“You don’t understand! You belong to me! A lowlife like her looking at you like you were fresh meat waiting to be devoured! How dare she even look at you! No one can look at you and think they are off the hook like that! I will rip their limbs apart if they dare to lay a finger on you, you’re mine!”

San felt his throat drying, eyes widening. He was screwed. He tried to laugh it off as he drove off, feeling fidgety. He didn’t know Seonghwa was that protective and it was killing San. He developed so much restraint for something like this to completely turn it into shambles. Seonghwa was pissed and San was thrilled. 

The traffic had dissipated. San had lost track of time. Focusing on the primary task of driving safely deemed to be difficult, with Seonghwa still going at it, arms crossed over his chest. His bubbly anger had subsided into a tantrum. 

“Seonghwa, how much time are you going to keep sulking? It doesn’t matter, I wasn’t even going to give her my number!”

“She wanted to fuck you!”

“So what! Doesn’t mean I wanted to fuck her.”

“It’s laughable! She, daring to desire you when you fucking belong to me? Joke of the century!” The sound of his maniac laughter reverberated inside the car but quickly halted. “It’s not funny, I wanted to rip her face off. You belong to me.”

“No need, I already told you, I wasn’t going to give her my number. I was going to decline her before you stepped in. And also, why does it matter so much? You gave Wooyoung your number before and now you’re making this a huge deal.”

“That was before I was aware of his intentions! You can’t compare both.” 

A parking spot was found nearly in front of their building. San turned the engine down and sighed. His thoughts were running wild.

Even though he was trying to understand why was he so pissed off about it, another part of him, the more organic and less rooted, didn’t give a single fuck about reasons, frantic by his distraught behavior over having San desired by anyone else. He shouldn’t be that aroused by that kind of thing, the thin line that separated the normal possessiveness, and the obsessive kind of one could easily trespass but fuck- San was delirious. It wasn’t the first time that Seonghwa told him he belonged to himself but that day the sentiment behind those words wasn’t caring or loose, they were filled with passion, craving, and domination. And san reveled in the knowledge of being the target of those sentiments. Of being someone’s someone. 

He hadn’t reacted that aggressively when he heard about Wooyoung, maybe he felt way more bitter than he would ever want to admit but it didn’t mean it didn’t irk him just as much. 

“That bitch completely ruined my mood. I wanted to come home, eat your food, and sleep but now I’m not even hungry anymore!” Seonghwa kept complaining as they exited the car, closing his door with unnecessary force. San was about to open the back seat’s door to get the groceries out when one last complaint was San’s breaking point.

“What the fuck do I have to do for her and everyone to keep their distance? You fucking belong to me and they can’t touch you! Never! I will break necks! World, are you listening to me? San belongs to _me_! He’s mine!”

And then everything happened at once, San circled the car and shoved Seonghwa against it, making him nearly trip over his feet, forcefully grabbing him by the shoulder. In the last moment of stillness Seonghwa nearly choked at the force San pushed him, pupils enlarging at San’s expression of madness. And then their lips crashed together in a passionate frenzy neither had experienced and San kissed the fucking daylights out of Seonghwa in the middle of the street. 

Self-control? It flew out of the window. 

If San really belonged to Seonghwa then all of his kisses would belong to him too. 

Scratch that.

His everything.

D-520


	6. VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *taps mic* I'M BACK!!! 
> 
> Honestly, I planned to make the following chapters shorter but this.....suddenly...was at 9.5k and uh... I don't know, words fly when you're having fun I guess lmao anyway hope it was worth the wait!

The way from the front door of the building to their apartment passed like a blur. San couldn’t recall how they managed to arrive without tripping or bumping into everything. He thought he had been the one guiding not only the kiss but also them through the building, and if someone had seen them he would never know. That also didn’t matter. San was way more focused on Seonghwa’s plush lips on his, crashing and burning his soul and existence to pieces. 

_’You belong to me.’_

He had never felt like that with anyone, one mere sweep of tongue over his lips made his spine crawl in excitement, and his heartthrob incredibly fast. Every place Seonghwa palmed with his gelid hands turned irrationally into fire, feeling conscious of how their bodies fit together against the front door as if their spiritual bound was in fact physical and making it impossible for them to separate from each other.

Somehow, San felt like that. He couldn’t live without Seonghwa anymore and that scary feeling only doubled in size every time he sighed contentedly against San’s lips, doing such a good job of trying to keep up with San’s skilled pace. He was perfect, so perfect. Everything San had ever dreamed of. More than that. So much more. Seonghwa was everything and even more. There was no word he could use to describe the dragon and why would he even try if his existence was as equally otherworldly? 

“S-San…”

To catch some air, they pulled away. Eyes roamed over each other’s faces, contemplating their feelings and crimson hues. 

Seonghwa was flushed in the prettiest pinks, eyes starry with bliss and joy, lips shiny with saliva. It had culminated to this, the thing San had been trying to suppress for weeks and was now so in the open, fragile yet eager. And somehow relieved to be out to the world. 

“You’re overthinking again.”

“Is this the right thing?” Seonghwa’s smile didn’t faze in a bit which scared San even more. He always kept his cool in serious moments while San implored to be teleported out of them. Still, the growing concern in Seonghwa’s eyes was evident, San felt even more foolish. “Forget it. We had this conversation already.” 

“Sanie, look at me.” San, who had been trying to release himself from the other, regretful he had just ruined the mood and projected his insecurities onto the other, exhaled heavily before raising his head again. “We can have this conversation again if that’s what you need. And it seems like you have a lot more than that in mind and I also have things I want to talk about so... “ 

Motioning to the living room, they solemnly made their way to the sofa, on which Seonghwa occupied one of the edges, giving San space if he preferred. But San searched for proximity so Seonghwa complied and they shifted to the middle of the sofa, knees touching. San sat rigidly, palms hugging his knees, slightly tense.

As much as he wanted to know truthfully what was going on San’s mind, Seonghwa didn’t listen to his thoughts since he knew he should give San privacy. Instead, he waited for the other to begin.

“What did you want to talk about?” San prompted Seonghwa to begin, in an attempt to collect his thoughts. 

Honestly, he had been in such a blissful state just minutes before, and then his mind had been invaded with every kind of turmoiled issue he had been fighting off. San wanted to look at Seonghwa’s face and smile, free of any problem, of any insecurity, no ‘but’ or ‘if’, he just wanted to show how grateful he was for having Seonghwa by his side, at that moment, and nothing else would matter. 

Unfortunately, humans weren’t made only of pleasant, fuzzy feelings but also of hurting and reality seemed to hit in the most unfortunate moments. 

When San looked at the other, worried and waiting for him, he couldn’t help but feel even worse, instead of the opposite. Words were left stuck inside his throat and every time he tried to get them out, more words would get stuck and so on. There were so many words he had left to say, delighted, serious, sunny, and rainy words. But when Seonghwa beamed at him, he knew he couldn’t ignore his feelings for longer, pretending he wasn’t so deep in it as he thought. He could overlook his heart rate and sweaty palms but he couldn’t just ignore the amount of electricity running through his body whenever Seonghwa kissed him.

“No, you start. I can wait.”

“I don’t know if this is the right thing. I mean, you’re a God, I’m your human we can’t just… pretend we can be together or something… aren’t we going to anger something like the universe? I don’t know…”

“Do you even believe in God that much to be afraid of that kind of thing?”

“Well… before you came I didn’t but you’re right in front of me how could I not believe!” Seonghwa chuckled as he laced their fingers together, noticing how San flinched.

“Didn’t I tell you we’re bound? Spiritually? You’re not just another human, you’re literally connected to me.” San slowly nodded to that, feeling his stomach churn once more. Why was everything complicated? If he didn’t have any human notions like Seonghwa, it would be easier, faster, and simpler to just fall into temptation. “There’s no reason for this, whatever we are, to not work. Believe me, if this wasn’t meant to be, the universe wouldn’t have given the opportunity for a demon to dare think of ruining me.”

San nodded, at a loss of words. 

“But you’re still not at ease. I can see it in your face, I’m not inside your thoughts.”

“I’m sorry…” San exhaled, not having any tears in his eyes but still releasing a shaken up noise. His eyes kept hovering over their hands instead of actually focusing on his face. He didn’t want to show so much of him but it was inevitable. 

“You’re apologizing about what? You have nothing to apologize for. I hate seeing you like this, nothing I say is making you feel better! Don’t apologize for that either, I swear.” 

“You see… fuck, okay, I have to say it.” After a deep breath, San resumed talking. “I don’t know what will happen to me when you leave.”

“How so?”

“You’re leaving like… in less than two years? Yeah, around that and… I can’t stop thinking about it… the after.” San bit his lips, trying his best to ignore the lump forming in his throat. He didn’t want to cause another scene about it as he knew there was no other option but for Seonghwa to go when the red moon came. He also thought it was silly to be so worried about it when there was still a lot of time left for them to be with each other but it still hurt. A lot. “There’s no reason for me to be so stressed about this because there’s literally no other option for us but… is it worth it? Will it hurt more if we- if we-”

Gently, almost with a hint of hesitation, San’s face was lifted by Seonghwa who dragged his fingers along his jaw, shutting him silent, before getting closer and pecking his lips. Immediately did San flutter his eyes shut, shivering to the gesture that lightly extinguished that flaming ache all over his chest. And, for some reason, he expected more but instead, Seonghwa spoke, still so close.

“How does it feel when we kiss?” 

San’s breath hitched, eyes still closed as if in trance, entangled in the other. Before he could even think of replying, Seonghwa kissed him again, this time lasting longer and slower, really just enjoying the contact and the way their feelings overflowed with such a simple action. Next to him, San slumped his shoulders from the tension he had been holding, letting his mind getting foggier once more, this time, without any horny chemical, purely out of love. And then Seonghwa pulled away but barely, enough to ground San.

“It feels so right,” San spoke lowly against the other’s lips before initiating another short kiss.

Seonghwa hummed peacefully, loving how much their feelings aligned. It was so obvious from the beginning and even more painfully obvious from the point of sharing random touches and finally when the kissing began. The answer had been right under his nose, all that time. And he took so long to unveil it. 

“Is this what love is?”

“Seonghwa…”

“I don’t know what it feels like but… everything that I’m feeling right now just feels like love.”

One quavering hand landed on Seonghwa’s chest and there was no denying. Widened eyes stared in shock, overwhelmed, and unable to process so much. When least expected, Seonghwa placed his hand on top of San’s over his chest, slowly pulling it up and kissing the back and taking it to his own cheek. 

"That day I asked you if you loved me… I didn't realize I was actually questioning myself."

"When you said… You said- you… You do?" 

"Yeah, I do. I love you so much, my heart feels like it's going to burst at any moment! And when you kiss me my mind just dozes off, I can't help but swim on your familiar scent and the way your lips taste so sweet but also bitter after you drink coffee but I like it, it's good anyway, it's always good because it's you, I realized! I'm sorry for rambling but you make me feel so much I'm not used to any of this."

A few heartbeats went by in silence. Seonghwa had said so much with an unbothered face and he should have expected that freedom from him. Why would he even feel embarrassed right? San also felt so much whenever Seonghwa was around, he deserved to know what things made his heart drum louder, what warmed his body, every little gesture, and sound. There was so much that should be verbalized, however, for san it was hard. It was hard to open up and to admit such things. He knew he could be vulnerable and simultaneously safe with Seonghwa but he still had a lot of self-introspection to do.

“Why are you so quiet? Am I being weird? Is it odd that I’m saying these things?” 

“No, it’s not! I just wish I could be brave enough to say what is on my mind too. Do you mind that I take longer to talk?” 

“I don’t!” Seonghwa assured him, holding his hands again before he rotated his body to face San, leg resting on the couch and the other dangling from it. “There’s just one thing that I want to hear right now.” 

“What is it?” 

“Tell me that you love me.” 

Just the mention of it turned San’s face into a blushing mess, finding the request incredibly endearing. In Seonghwa's eyes shone the brightest stars, expectant and glimmery, waiting for San to do it.

“I… love you.” The words came out in a sigh as if the truth was relieved to be finally uncovered. San collected enough strength to profess the meaningful words while looking at Seonghwa, and yes it was terribly embarrassing but where would he look if not at him? 

“What? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear well.” 

San immediately nudged him and there was a split second where they looked at each other and then Seonghwa engulfed him in a side hug, snuggling his face on San’s shoulder, releasing more and more butterflies in their stomachs. 

“Is it worth it?” That time was Seonghwa asking, still buried on his shoulder, relieved San didn’t cry as he would end doing the exact same. He wondered why San's emotions affected his own that much. Being in love must be a really intense thing to experience.

“Yes.”

When San got home the next day Seonghwa wasn’t there to welcome him but before he could type a worried text, Seonghwa opened the door, bags filled to the brim hanging from both of his arms. 

“Where did you go?”

“The moon! Silly, the convenience store down the road, help me with these, they're so heavy!!” 

“Why did you buy two bags full of ice cream!” San exclaimed while examining the bags he took from Seonghwa. They put them on the kitchen counter and Seonghwa didn’t spare any second as he began putting away the groceries.

“Because!” San flinched at the loud thud of the bags being settled on the counter with unnecessary strength. “If this recipe I’m trying out fails we still need something sweet to stick the candles on.”

“Wait what? Candles? For what?”

“San, you’re asking too many questions and I have so much to do!” Striding in San’s direction, Seonghwa grabbed him by the cheeks and placed a clumsy kiss on his unprepared lips. “Can you leave the kitchen so I can start? It’s a surprise so shoo! Shoo!” 

Letting himself be nearly thrown out of the room, San wasn’t able to contain the laughter, Seonghwa’s rowdy attitude was endearing. Simultaneously he felt flabbergasted by how the dragon remembered the promise he had made. Seonghwa assured him they’d celebrate his birthday despite already having passed and San had forgotten about it. Although he had told Seonghwa it wasn’t necessary when he suggested it weeks before, the dragon insisted so much San couldn’t refuse him. 

Unsure of how long Seonghwa would take, San set his laptop in the living room to do some work while waiting. The effort was duly noted however it didn’t stop him from drifting off the earth when the email inbox page finished loading, showing some unanswered messages he really should get back to. Instead, San stared at nothing and reflected. 

When Seonghwa insisted so much on planning a surprise, San desperately wished that came out of love, just like he’d do the exact same for him. And that, added to other similar caring things that happened before, would have made so much sense if San recognized from the start them as merely actions of love. It was that simple. And humans make everything so complicated, San thought, imitating Seonghwa’s reprimanding tone. To that, he chuckled to himself, an easy smile slipping over his lips over the thought of the other.

“What are you laughing about here by yourself?” 

“You scared me!” San complained, completely oblivious to when Seonghwa came to the living room. “Are you done?”

“Not even close! But I changed my mind, keep me in company while I bake the cake.” San nodded before closing the laptop and accompanying Seonghwa back to the kitchen. From Seonghwa’s phone flowed a calm melody that San recognized as one of his favorite playlists, but San only focused on how close to the edge of the counter it was, threatening to be smashed into pieces. And the fact that it was so close to Seonghwa’s self-proclaimed working station didn’t help either. The mixer had a few ingredients already inside, sugar grains were scattered around it and on top of the scale, Seonghwa had used minutes before. He hadn’t even done much and the kitchen already looked like a war zone. “I’ve been alone all day, it doesn’t make sense for us to be each in one division.” 

“Just admit you missed me.” San sat across the island watching the dragon cracking some eggs into the mixer, egg yolk adding to the mess of the sugar on the counters. Joking around was easier without the mental wall San had built so vehemently, Seonghwa loved the little changes in their dynamic.

“You know I have no problems admitting that.” Seonghwa turned on the mixer, its noise blocking the music immediately. Then he leaned on the island with his elbows, facing San.

“Have you eaten anything? It’s nearly dinner time and if you’re starting to bake now… I’m making dinner while you bake.” San meant to hop from the chair but Seonghwa weighted his hands on his shoulders. 

“No, no! I will order food! What do you want to eat?” 

“I don’t know, what do _you_ want to eat?” San shrugged, barely decoding what was being told due to the mixer. 

“I’m asking you for a reason! You should be the one choosing, it’s your birthday!” Seonghwa spoke louder at that time and strode to the mixer increasing its speed, feeling impatient.

“My birthday has long passed but since you’re giving me the chance to choose, how about… pizza!”

“I thought humans went all out for their birthdays but you’re really cheap.” Seonghwa scoffed but didn’t mean to be condescending, after all, he too loved pizza. And there was a nearby place in their neighborhood that made the best pizzas so he wouldn’t mind that at all. 

“I don’t care, I haven’t eaten pizza in a long time.” San stuck his tongue out when Seonghwa turned around from the mixer. “And shouldn’t you have started pre-heating the oven already?”

“It’s because you’re distracting me!” Seonghwa yelled exasperated and of course blamed San for it. It only made him roll his eyes, already expecting that. 

“What do you mean? You’re the one that asked me to come to keep you in company!” Seonghwa grunted something but the mixer blocked most noise. After setting the correct temperature on the oven, he went back to the mixer to add the last few ingredients to the batter. “Can I ask why you left the baking for so late? You had the whole day.”

“Do you want the truth or what you humans would answer to avoid getting embarrassed?” That caught San off guard. 

“Hm, what would humans say?” 

“I tried doing this recipe earlier in the afternoon but it was a complete disaster so I only had time to go out now to buy more ingredients and the ice-cream in case a new disaster occurs.” Seonghwa talked mechanically, as if he had rehearsed while preparing the cake pan with butter and flour, making even a bigger mess all over the counter. San grimaced but cooed at the same time. God, he was a _simp_ , if that was the correct way to use the term Seonghwa introduced to him days before. 

San lifted an eyebrow at that convincing story. It was okay to fail, Seonghwa had done so at baking every now and then but he always tried one more time as he wasn’t one to give up easily. If he hadn’t said that was a lie from the start, San would believe him without batting an eye. 

“And what’s the truth?” Finally, the mixer was turned off and the music was audible once more, both had forgotten it had been playing all that time. 

“I touched myself and forgot about the time,” Seonghwa said simply, as simply as he would talk about most commonalities of life. San walked to the counter to clean it up, always finding his careless attitude amusing.

“Of course it had to be something of that sort.”

“What do you mean by that! And put the cake inside the oven. I'm afraid of burning myself.” And so did San, unsure if the oven was even at the right temperature already. “You’re no fun, you didn’t even ask what I thought of while doing it. Be truthful, are you still shy around me?”

“Clearly, I am.” San finally realized Seonghwa wasn’t done with a cake. “What are you doing next?”

“The frosting but I have to wash the bowl first. Are you seriously cleaning the counter? You know I’m going to make another mess.”

“You’re going all out with the cake, huh?” San stopped and observed Seonghwa weighing the butter and putting it in the bowl. 

“Isn’t it obvious? I read somewhere that birthdays need a special cake! And birthday cakes always have filling so I’m making some. Does buttercream frosting sound good to you?”

“I love that.” Still observing Seonghwa mixing all the ingredients in the bowl and turning on the mixer again. “Can I hug you from behind?” 

“Why are you even asking? No, scratch that. You should totally ask it’s kinda sexy how you think I might refuse.”

“Oh, forget it!” San huffed, pink fawning in his cheeks but still complying and wrapping his arms around Seonghwa’s waist, head draped over a warm shoulder. 

“Have you noticed?”

“What?”

“How have you been acting more and more like me?”

“How so?”

“Snappy and loud. Irritable but it’s all embarrassment, no fire for real.” The frosting gradually gained shape as the moment stretched. Seonghwa had his hair in a high ponytail, falling prettily over his frame and reaching his waist. It was moments like that when San felt the luckiest, even if he was refraining from embarrassing himself further by not answering. “But I’ll tell you what I imagined. You were- Wait, that’s okay right?” San nodded his head. “Yes?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Finally, the mixer was turned off, the frosting looked delicious. The only thing left was the cake. Seonghwa turned around, leaning on the counter. 

“You were beautiful, wearing nothing but one of my robes, waiting for me to come to bed to hold you.”

“That’s pretty tame,” San commented, permitting Seonghwa to catch his hands.

“But then you undid the robe and began playing with yourself to show me how much you needed me.”

“Oh.” Wide eyes panicked, San laughed nervously. It brought a vivid image to his mind that he didn’t need at all. It’s not like he didn’t have his own fantasies but hearing about Seonghwa’s ones was still enough to make him flustered. On the other hand, Seonghwa didn’t have a hint of embarrassment or shame painted on his face as he shared something so intimate. It was almost like, he quickly accepted that his heart was San’s and there was nothing worth hiding. San still needed to work on that.

“But the ridiculous part is that it got even hotter when you said I couldn’t touch you! Why was that hot? I have no idea but I orgasmed to that. It was nice.” San wanted to yell at how the dragon’s tone was so out of sync with the matter of hand. If someone had heard that last phrase, they would think Seonghwa was sharing a sweet, happy memory that he held dearly with the number of dreams he carried in his eyes. “Let me see the cake!” 

With whiplash, San was brought back to reality, observing Seonghwa crouching to check the cake. “It needs more time. The recipe said to let the cake bake for 40 minutes. We should order dinner in the meantime!” 

San quickly agreed and distracted himself with cleaning the counters and washing the utensils, clearly not spiraling over the entire scenario Seonghwa had just implanted in his head. 

It did sound fun: San being coy at first, allowing Seonghwa to reach closer but not enough. Sitting by his side, Seonghwa would have his eyes focused on the San’s exposed skin, shadows created by the gown opening panel for imagination, delicate hands caressing gingerly the expanse from the knees to the inner thighs, legs just slightly opening up and making the sash around the waist loosen up even more and making the robe slip further off. He could imagine Seonghwa’s face of interest, trembling while attempting to break their barrier but San not allowing him the liberty.

_Just watch me._

“You’re going to break something if you keep letting everything slip off your hands like that.” That was the second spatula dramatically falling and speckling the floor with frosting. San chuckled nervously and didn’t have to say anything else.

While waiting, they sat at the table finishing up decorating the cake. Seonghwa complained about how unrefined it looked, nothing like the video he used as reference but San brushed it off, saying the outside didn’t matter as much as its flavor. Cutting strawberries in half, the pieces of fruit were placed on top of little chantilly mounds around the top of the cake edges. Not having permission to help, San contented himself with stealing strawberries, receiving shallow threats from Seonghwa in the process. 

Glancing at the wall clock, it was past nine already, time flew. San was tired but that hadn’t yet crossed his mind with how focused on Seonghwa he had been since he arrived home. That was nice, coming home after a long day of work and having someone around with whom he could distress and count. San cherished that, it was the first time he was experiencing it and it felt just the right amount of coziness. And familiarity. Seonghwa was that. 

After slapping San’s hand for the millionth time away from the cake, Seonghwa snapped a few pictures of it, rotating the plate, using flash, close shots and wide shots, filters, and even videos of it. 

The pizza arrived while Seonghwa was still entertained with taking _the_ photo so San answered the door and came back in an instant, putting down the box on the counter. Seonghwa had been waiting to make him wear an obnoxiously colorful cone hat, insisting on taking pictures of San with the cake. After small negotiation, the photoshoot was moved to after the dinner as they were both starving. 

San found it silly. The cone hats especially. But also endearing. Again, the cone hats, but all the effort of making the whole cake from scratch, the thought put into the decoration, the time spent on researching human birthdays, how much he was giving to San without expecting anything in return. Sure, the expenses were paid from his bank account but that detail didn’t matter. At least not in San’s eyes, who was loving to be treated like he mattered and was part of something. Seonghwa was capable of making him feel so full and loved.

The cake was the thing that touched San the most. Everyone rather bought the cake, neat and delicious, with no time spent in the hassle of the process of creation however Seonghwa opted for taking the time to do it. San knew he liked cooking and baking, but he was also impatient so if Seonghwa had bought a cake for the occasion, he wouldn’t think about it twice. Knowing Seonghwa didn’t take the easy road, despite that not being a bad option at all, set more and more uncontrollable fireworks in his poor human heart, ever so moved. 

“The candles!” Seonghwa patted them into the cake gently, followed by the tiny sparklers right next to them. 

“I’ll light the cake up, you turn off the lights.” With a nod, Seonghwa waited by the switch for San to finish lighting up the candles and sparkles and when he was done, the house was filled with blank darkness, corners, and furniture illuminated by the frantic light from the cake. Seonghwa didn’t need to run but he did so, nearly missing his chair and flying off it.

A cheerful voice began singing the birthday song while hands clapped to the rhythm. For a moment San stood still, unsure of what to do while that happened but it didn't take long for him to clap along, rocking his torso side to side, finding a carefree side of him he rarely felt come forth. And even though it was just a minute or so of singing, he felt so overwhelmed with emotions and at the same time so free of them and everything that made life so uneasy. 

What mattered was the present, and his present belonged to Seonghwa. 

“Blow the candles and make a wish.” 

The gentle light of the candles whispered away, a faint smell of burnt cotton lingering between them. The impression didn’t last in their consciousnesses for long as San lurched forward, catching Seonghwa on the lips by mere chance in the dark. Seonghwa emitted some sort of surprised squeak but soon melted into the other’s touch, reciprocating and letting it happen as it did. 

The kiss was so good, so right, so delicious, so euphoric. Seonghwa poured all of his feelings in a single kiss, every damn time. It was right there, his whole self served in a silver plate for San to devour in its entirety. 

Seonghwa blindly sat on San’s lap to get a better angle. The kiss was slow, aching, and paralyzing almost, San wanted his arms to wrap around Seonghwa but they didn’t seem to obey. Meanwhile, Seonghwa ran his hands through his scalp, flicking his hair in the tempo of every sweep of tongue. 

_Make a wish._

There wasn’t much San wanted, materialistic speaking. Maybe a waffle maker, just to satisfy his occasional waffle needs. Non-materialistic speaking was another issue, however. At that moment there wasn’t anything missing in his life, in the long run, there were so many future moments where he could see himself missing a piece of himself. He wouldn’t dwell on it though. What he wished for was just for him to know and maybe Seonghwa if he was listening to his thoughts.

“You taste like all my wishes could come true.” 

Seonghwa gasped, exhilarated. 

“And you’re all what my wishes are made of.” 

After tasting the cake (which was delicious obviously) and after partially destroying it in the attempt of getting each other faces’ dirty with the frosting (which ended in a short makeout session, now with frosting in the mix) they moved to the living room to cuddle under some blankets, watch a random movie maybe fall asleep in the middle of it entangled in each other. 

“I have two presents for you!” Or so San thought. 

“What? There’s more?” Guided, San sat on the sofa observing Seonghwa who moved the _gayageum_ to the floor. 

“Of course there’s more! Who do you think I am?” Seonghwa snorted, not realizing how close to crying San was. “I’m so tired of these tight clothes, I’ll be right back!”

If San teared up and managed to compose himself during the time Seonghwa took to change, Seonghwa would never know. When he returned in bouncy steps, wearing a wine red satin robe with undoubtedly nothing underneath, San welcomed him back with a small smile. He had untied his hair so he tucked the front strands behind his ears, almost coyly, after sitting behind the _gayageum_. Out of nowhere, he put a small elaborated bow in one of the edges of the instrument.

“You’re… giving me it?”

“I’m dedicating you a song. Guess what it is.” San hummed in response, curiously waiting for the first notes to resonate. 

Seonghwa beamed before beginning the song, looking at San expectantly. It took a few seconds but San got there: “Paris in the Rain!” 

San had shown him Lauv a few weeks before along with another handful of artists as Seonghwa showed particular interest in music. He liked songs of the softer side, more sentimental and flowy and that was precisely what San had recommended him. With particular songs he’d try to convert them into the traditional chords of the _gayageum_ , always surprising San with how those sounded so beautifully in that medium. Seonghwa loved the praise, loved being capable, loved the ariose tones of the instrument in his ears, loved the feeling of the chords against his fingertips, loved the enamored gaze San had directed at him as he played. 

In that evening, he loved how San began humming the rhythm of the song, immediately knowing he had chosen the right song. 

San settled in front of Seonghwa, rocking his body gently as he had done earlier with the birthday song and the freeing feeling was as equally strong. But that time he caught himself singing the lyrics, finding them so appropriate. Seonghwa smiled ever so brightly when his eyes met San’s ones as he let his heart out through that song. 

There was no denying: Seonghwa knew what love was. 

_’Cause anywhere with you feels right._

The embarrassed chuckle coming from Seonghwa when San sang that verse for the last time would stay in his mind forever. And as quick as it began, the song finished in loose notes extending throughout the room. Then, silence. Then, words that would be repeated until the end of time:

“I love you so much.” 

Seonghwa could only hurriedly circle the instrument and catch San in a bone-crushing hug. His heart drummed so fast, that combination was short so full of emotions, Seonghwa couldn't digest them without physically reacting. He giggled, reveling in those moments San found its way out of social ties and was capable to be as raw as possible. 

“Don’t cry, you know I will end up crying too.” 

“Nowadays, seems like it's the only thing I want to do.”

“Why? Is something wrong?” Seonghwa pulled away to search for any negative emotions in San’s widened eyes. San couldn’t help but lightly smile at the concern, feeling the sensation in his throat tying even more. 

Maybe San needed this a lot more than he ever thought. 

“No! No, no. I guess I just feel overwhelmed…” What kind of adult felt like that having attention from a significant other? San was so broken and he hadn't even realized. That thought terrified him, was taking him to places he didn't want to enter but luckily Seonghwa was grounding him with his soothing voice, his proximity, his soul. 

“So it’s bad.”

“But it’s with good feelings. It's a good overwhelmed? I don’t know but! You make me feel so much I don’t know how to deal with this without crying.”

“Aw, that’s very baby of you. You’re so cute.”

“Shut up.” San blushed, not used to those adjectives applied to himself. He had never seen himself as cute but he wouldn’t question Seonghwa. He just grinned at the sudden display of coyness. 

“I love you too. Am I doing a good job of showing it?”

“An excellent job. Or I wouldn’t be always on the verge of tears.”

“But I don’t want to make you cry!”

“I already told you it’s good tears!”

“Okay, okay! Then I’ll make you cry more! Only good tears!” San laughed at his eagerness but ended up silently nodding, moved by the sincerity swirling in Seonghwa’s eyes. “C’mon.” 

The _gayageum_ was put away and they meant to move to the sofa. 

“Oh right, what’s my second present?” 

“Glad you asked!” Seonghwa finally teetered to the sofa with the bow from before in his hand. Unceremoniously did he proclaimed San’s lap as the most comfortable seat of the house, hands wrapping around his neck after he loosely fixed the tape of the bow on the top of his head. "It's me!"

The loud laughter startled Seonghwa but he quickly joined in before burying his face in the other’s collarbone. 

“How did I know that’s exactly what I wanted?” San’s hands resting on Seonghwa’s hips involved him instead, crushing their torsos together, hearts drumming loud in their rib cages. Their heights were quite similar but Seonghwa’s frame was decidedly bigger, San couldn’t stop thinking how even bigger he looked on his smallish lap as if swallowing him up.

“It was just a hunch. Unwrap your present.”

San’s heart did several backflips in the second that followed that last sentence, eyes googly in shock but interest. There was no reason to not do it, right? That was okay, right? 

One look at Seonghwa's blushing complexion, the realization of how much his hands trembled behind his neck, his entire body language assured him it was more than okay. That both wanted each other. That both longed for each other’s touch.

With how much time San took to untie his robe, he thought Seonghwa would do it himself, impatient as ever. However, as of late, Seonghwa had been much calmer, forbearing San’s necessity to take it slower, to process and to live every millisecond of it. San noticed and mentally thanked Seonghwa for it. 

With quivering fingers was the robe untied, slightly slipping off but not enough to run down Seonghwa’s wide shoulders. Still, his collarbones were in display, skin so flawless and needing to be marked. 

_“Didn’t I tell you we’re bound?”_

Because of the eager hands spread over his back, Seonghwa was pushed forward, closing more of their distance so that San could reach better for his skin, licking and distributing light kisses throughout the extension of the collarbone. It was only when he nibbled the skin that Seonghwa let out a shaky breath.

“Did you just bite me? Is this something people do to each other?” The curiosity coexisting with enthusiasm on Seonghwa’s face when San raised his head was blinding. His pupils doubled the size, San thought he was going insane. 

“I’ll show you one of the ways humans show how much they love someone.” And those words sounded so breathless, so ambitious to meet their goal, so passionate to show Seonghwa how much love beat through his small heart for him. 

Not giving him a chance, San pulled Seonghwa into a frantic kiss. A pair of hands settled on the sides of San’s neck, another pair slipped inside the robe and held Seonghwa by his naked waist, cold fingertips causing a shiver down his spine. 

Kissing was heaven-like, but if something made Seonghwa helplessly whimper was definitely having his earlobe played with. He was so confused why his body reacted like that but if San wasn’t saying anything then he could conclude that it was a normal reaction.

“Hm… Sannie?” 

“Yes?” 

“If I do something weird could you tell me? I don’t want to ruin this.” San fell silent for a moment, processing how deep Seonghwa’s furrowed eyebrows were. 

“You’re not going to ruin anything. If you want, you can keep asking questions.” Seonghwa nodded slowly, visibly relaxing more onto the other. “I’ll treat you well. You trust me, right?” 

“Of course, what kind of question is that?!” The sudden snappy behavior made San less anxious. He wouldn’t admit but knowing Seonghwa was also concerned made him more conscious of the step they were taking. 

Being conscious of it made everything too real and he hoped he’d calm down enough to not let Seonghwa be aware of how he was freaking out too. In that scenario he had to be the bigger person, there was no other possible outcome. 

San forced a smile that seemed to convince Seonghwa and kissed him one more time, lulled by the vicious taste of the other, sickly sweet because of the cake and the number of expectations he had on San. He wanted to fulfill them all, be good to Seonghwa, give him what he deserved. 

“So is it normal that I’m getting goosebumps?” Seonghwa whispered when they broke off once more, San finding his way down his neck, licking a stripe across it. “E-Even more when you play with my ears?”

“Your ears are very sensitive, if I play with them you’ll feel…things.” Seonghwa was a blushing mess, he was so embarrassed of his lack of knowledge but having San showing him for real about that kind of thing was exhilarating so he tried to shake off that feeling of stupidity. 

“Do it, show me.” San trailed kisses up Seonghwa’s neck, making him lightly squirm until he pecked his mouth and deepened the kiss. He couldn’t get enough of his taste so he dwelled on it a bit longer, prolonging the feeling until he didn’t feel so anxious anymore, actually finding comfort in exploring each other one discovery at the time. 

“Promise me you won’t hold back your sounds.” San requested, eyes on how glossy Seonghwa’s lips were from their saliva, puckered as if waiting for more.

“How much confidence do you have! You asking that just makes me want to do the opposite.” San giggled, his attitude was still showing and he absolutely adored it. 

Decided to not stale any longer, San drove his attention to Seonghwa’s left ear, licking it, grazing his teeth and ultimately nibbling, gingerly, almost as if holding back to be completely sure he wouldn’t hurt Seonghwa. 

A coy sound left Seonghwa’s parted lips, a faint whimper that made San’s lips smirk triumphantly. He kept teasing him, encouraged by the mellow staccato sounds seeming to never end. And the light squeezes he occasionally applied to Seonghwa’s waist only resulted in more pulsating sensations, the place where he was grasped burning delightfully. Seonghwa could feel his blood pump harder, downwards, where his crotch rested pliant on top of San’s thighs. 

“S-San…” Seonghwa’s hands curled into fists over San’s chest, unsure of what to do with them so lost he was in that spiking pleasure. He already sounded so breathless with just a little teasing, San was going insane with how much power he held. 

“Yeah, love?” Pulling away to place another peck over his lips, he let Seonghwa collect his thoughts, not wanting to make him too overwhelmed, unaware how powerful that pet name was.

Surely, Seonghwa was still trying to process how different that situation was from masturbating. He was too impatient, solely bringing his focus on orgasming. However, that was different. They weren’t enjoying that moment of intimacy to just orgasm, it incorporated new and exciting things, foreign to Seonghwa. The slow pace, the unfamiliar sensations crawling under his skin the first time in that body, the patience San was displaying, roles seemingly reversed in a switch of lights he hadn’t even consciously noticed.

“You’re… you’re just so good. Touch me more?” 

“Tell me what you want.” 

“You remember that night I sat on your lap?” San tucked Seonghwa’s loose strands behind his ears as he uttered the words in a small voice. 

“You want to grind on me?” Uncharacteristically, Seonghwa giggled and buried his head on San’s shoulder attempting to hide his embarrassment. San was about to combust with how adorable Seonghwa was in that kind of scenario. Although the change of attitude, the lack of assertion, and the hints of submission were all unexpected, San was as aroused as ever. Seonghwa was as desirable in his most enticing ways as in his splendid coyness. San reveled in Seonghwa. 

“B-But I also… want you to touch me and I kind of want to touch you too!”

“You can do whatever you want, love.”

“Oh my god, I love that, keep calling me that, my heart feels so tight whenever you do it.” Seonghwa blushed harder, wiggling his arms off the robe but latching them over San again just as quick, who grinned at his vivid response.

The upper part of the robe fell backward, covering San’s legs, somehow still covering Seonghwa’s south. San stilled, gaze mired over Seonghwa’s frame, almost afraid to touch and daint what was so pure and innocent. One hand left that side it was clasped on, tracing his defined collarbones, particular places shiny with saliva from earlier, and moving downwards, reaching his chest and squeezing, thumb not missing his nipple and eyes not missing the way Seonghwa pursed his lips to stop himself from being audible. 

San consumed time with no rush, running his hand all over Seonghwa, slowly making the other go insane, then realizing that was certainly the effect desired. And when San squeezed his waist, he couldn’t help but writhe in his hold, sensitive and showing all of him to San. They were silent, Seonghwa wanted to retort something just because, being petulant, however, that would unquestionably shatter the amorous mood set between their bodies and he couldn’t bring himself to break it when San seemed so lost in appreciating Seonghwa - dare he say, worshipping. He loved the fazed gaze, eating him alive.

The moment the robe was, at last, relocated to somewhere else that wasn’t between them, San scoffed. “Of course, you’d be naked.”

“Too much clothing is a nuisance. Get rid of your pants.” 

Seonghwa lifted himself off so that San could get rid of the irking clothing. Seonghwa was half hard by then, that time San wasn’t making the effort to look away. 

“Come.” Seonghwa straddled him again, abruptly landing on his lap, catching San by surprise. 

“You’re so small under me,” Seonghwa commented just as that thought simultaneously popped up on San’s mind. The latter finally placed his hands lower, grabbing his hips making Seonghwa scoot just slightly closer to him, cocks nearly touching if San’s wasn’t still guarded by his briefs. 

“You’re so big on top of me.” 

“I’m big in any way.” Before San could retort, Seonghwa silenced him with a finger over his lips, foreshadowing what he was about to reply. “Don’t call it average at best!” 

San held his hand, kissing his finger before lacing them together. 

“You’re taking the fun out of it then.”

“It’s not teasing if you’re insulting me for real.”

“Oh my god, yours is so long and pretty!” The high pitched, melodramatic tone made Seonghwa cringe. Even though San finally wrapped a hand around his length, Seonghwa still slapped his chest in protest. 

“I can’t stand you!”

“That’s a lie and you know it.” Seonghwa bit his lip, eyebrows furrowing as he debated if keeping acting up was even worth it while trying to ground himself when the other’s hand around him felt so good, even better when San spit on his hand to enhance the sensation. “You’re not even going to deny it?” 

“C-Can’t-!” Seonghwa couldn’t contain a shaky wince when San applied pressure to the head of his cock. “Sannie!” A flustered moan was let out, shocked by how good his hand felt, so much better than his own.

“Love, your voice sounds so beautiful right now.” Seonghwa whimpered at the praise, eyes downwards to the swift motions of the other’s hand. They still were holding hands with San’s free hand though, so the dragon placed the other over the working arm as if encouraging him to keep going. “Does it feel good?”

“Uh-huh…” Seonghwa nodded, blushing madly. 

“Is it better if I’m silent?”

“No, keep talking…” Worry momentarily flooded San but it seemed as his assumption was wrong. “I’m just not sure if you want me to continue being snide or if you want me to agree with everything.”

“I want you to be yourself. Be snarky with me if you want but don’t say yes when you don’t want to. If you want to say no, you have to say it. Okay?” That alarmed San. The last thing he wanted was to make Seonghwa uncomfortable in any way possible. 

“Okay.” 

“You promise?” San insisted, Seonghwa realizing how serious he was. 

“Yes, of course. I’ll be good.” It was only when Seonghwa assured him that San resumed his movements, immediately rewarded with a small whimper. 

A trembling hand landed on the waistband of San’s briefs, two fingers curling on the elastic. “Can I?” San lowly hummed in approval, heart beating so fast while Seonghwa pulled down the underwear and stared for a few seconds.

“Wow.”

“What?” San snorted, finding the sudden quietude amusing. Their eyes met before Seonghwa averted his attention down, imitating San on spitting on his hand before grabbing him and giving him a few experimental tugs.

“No, nothing I thought it was smaller.”

“They can grow a bit when they’re hard.” Seonghwa hummed to the newly acquired information, more concerned if he was doing it the right way. There was too much he didn’t know, so he recreated San’s technique and pressure. 

San thought he could only be dreaming, it felt too surreal to be in that position with Seonghwa. His mind wouldn’t dwell much on it, pulling Seonghwa for a slow kiss, intoxicating their perceptions with each other until there were no thoughts that could resist, only heartfelt moans, low whines coming out of their deprived mouths.

“Rub yourself on me.” Despite protesting when San let his cock be, he couldn’t complain about how he actually loved the feeling of his grasp over his ass, kneading in an urge to make Seonghwa move. So he did, of course, tentatively rocking his hips on San. His cock was snug to San’s sweater and instead, San tried to hold their cocks in one hand, however, his tiny reach wasn’t enough. “Wrap your hand around us.”

Without questioning, Seonghwa did as he was told to, unable to contain the mellow sound of pleasure to the delectable friction his hand enhanced. San also felt so affected, Seonghwa’s hand was so big, his body was so big, all over him, towering him with his height, engulfing him.

“Oh, fuck.” 

Seonghwa fucked onto his hand, moving his hips in an arousing motion which caught San in a trance before another moan brought him back to the room and pulled Seonghwa’s torso to himself in order to restart what he had begun earlier, nibbling and nipping and kissing and sucking on his skin around his neck, making Seonghwa hiss when he applied enough pressure to leave marks, losing control of his hips for a second. San was on cloud nine.

“Sannie! Fuck, do that again.” San complied, cooing at how much that affected him. He bucked his hips uncontrollably but gripping their cocks harder making San nearly scream. "Y-You're so good, oh San! I love you, I love you so much- you're so good…"

Their cocks rubbed on each other with uncontrollable friction as Seonghwa fucked his hand, San nearly came just from that and the continuous blabbering coming from the dragon's mouth, so lost in pleasure he couldn't even process what he was saying anymore. 

Then Seonghwa stopped moving, panting as he tried to regain control of his breath, calming down for a moment before hugging San and kissing his neck back. 

"I want _you_ to make me cum, not my hand."

“Of course, whatever you want, baby.” San planted an endearing kiss on Seonghwa’s forehead before grabbing him again, slowly pumping him. “Are you close?”

“I think so.” Their voices were almost mumbles, sincere whispers filling the space between them. Seonghwa jerked at how gentle San sounded, keeping his voice sweet and tender, so close to his ear. “I don’t know if I want to come…”

“How so?”

“It feels so good I don’t want you to stop…” Soft chuckles ripped out of San’s chest, Seonghwa knew he wasn’t being laughed at, it felt much more like a reaction of endearment. 

“We have plenty of time to do this and much more, though.” Seonghwa hummed weakly as he shallowly moved his hips into San’s hand, suddenly something clicked in the latter’s mind.

At first, Seonghwa was utterly confused about why San held his hand just slightly above his cock, forming a circle with his fingers, but then he instructed Seonghwa to fuck into it and it all made sense. While his hips thrust upwards, easily sliding on San’s tight grip, Seonghwa’s head was spinning with how much he found all that extremely hot, unaware that having to work for pleasure was a form of submission.

“Yes, my baby is doing so well. Do you like it?”

“I love it, I _love_ you, San.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet.” Seonghwa whimpered at the sneer infiltrated in San’s tone, glassy eyes finding the other’s already on his face, shivering by their sheer intensity. Holding his bottom lip between his teeth, the dragon averted his eyes, letting them wander over their laps, mind fuzzy. 

When he found himself tearing up because San kept withdrawing his hand in unfortunate successive attempts to insert himself didn't catch him off guard. If anything, it just felt so _right_ to cry. The more attention he had, the better.

“Are you okay?”

“T-These are my happy tears.” Seonghwa sniffled out before San cleaned the wetness over his cheeks with his thumb. 

“Oh? I thought you’d be annoyed by now.” Seonghwa squeezed the shoulders he was holding on to, rocking his hips up quickly enough that San didn’t have time to react. 

“I am also-! Damn it!” But next thrust, Seonghwa wailed at another failed attempt, bouncing frustratingly on San’s lap before shaking him by the shoulders. “San!” The lewdness resonated throughout the house, making San’s dick twitch. ”Are you going to stop that or what?”

“Okay, okay, I won’t do it anymore.”

“Promise?” Seonghwa squinted his eyes, weary of the never-ending teasing.

“Yeah.”

“For real?”

“Sure.”

“You’re gonna regret it if you do it.” With a huff Seonghwa continued fucking into his hand, hips signaling tiredness but the dragon was set to ignore it. Even though he seemed miffed, deep down he was loving having to work for it. Not that he was conscious of it either. 

“You’re making me curious now.” Both cocks were angry and so desperate to release. San’s hadn't been touched in a while but it leaked pathetically, Seonghwa’s voice was too sensual for his sanity. He didn’t mind, his attention was fixed on making Seonghwa feel good.

“You’re insufferable, hope you know that.” 

A snicker was all he reaped before the mood of the room deviated in the second San began pumping him in fast strokes, startling Seonghwa who only mewled in incessant desperation. The sharp grip on San’s shoulders would certainly leave nail marks if it wasn’t for his sweater. The flustered stuttering of hips, the sheen layer of sweat on his forehead, the eyes squeezed shut incapable of opening to look at San. He was relishing in every way Seonghwa crumbled above him, one with lust, all for San. Just for him. 

San latching his mouth over his collarbone was Seonghwa’s breaking point.

His sapid voice broken in fervent moans directed to the ceiling as his head hung matched how quick the tension boiled inside his stomach and then, _snap_ , when it split Seonghwa went silent in his zeal. Structured breaths blew out of his spent lips as he came down from his high, hips still involuntary stammering and foggy thoughts struggling to make an end.

“You did so well, love.” 

No responsive words followed, the dragon could only exhale as he came back to reality from a brief moment of delusion. He opened his eyes when San petted his hair, hand crawling to caress his cheek. Before he looked at the other’s face, he caught the mess he had done below, cum all over San’s hand and a few sparse drops sticking to the stitches of San’s sweater. 

“That was mind-blowing,” San muttered as he caught him for a kiss, still floaty from the orgasm. 

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Can I taste it?” San raised his dirty hand which Seonghwa promptly licked his fluids, pulling a conflicted face. “It’s weird.” 

“What were you expecting?” San cackled as he drove his focus back to his cock, still erect and so, so lonely, he hissed when he touched it, smearing Seonghwa’s cum all over, ripping an awed gasp from Seonghwa who blinked twice or thrice at him. 

“Isn’t that gross?” San shrugged, not really minding how dirty could that be, if anything it turned him on even more, knowing it was Seonghwa’s cum all over him. “But it’s kinda hot how you’re using it to jack off, holy shit.” 

“Are you not going to help me?”

“I’m helping through moral support.” San rolled his eyes, mischievous Seonghwa was back at full strength. But the snarking was meaningless of course. He hovered his hand over San’s and grabbed it, squeezing it against his cock and making him cry out of overstimulation. 

“Fuck!”

"It twitched! I'm so powerful, aren't I?" 

"Yeah, do that again but drag your hand up super slowly and squeeze the head." With the instructions, Seonghwa managed to rip a louder noise from San's filth mouth who bucked his hips into their hands. 

"You're so pretty like this, how much of it can you take?" 

"Seonghwa, Love, faster." San wasn't making any strength with his hand anymore, Seonghwa was the one commanding with his grip, and how exciting was that? Even more with how much he had repressed all those kinds of thoughts for months now? 

"You're begging all of sudden- Oh my, this is so hot to look at! Beg more!"

"P-Please, I'm so close-!" 

"Come for me, then." And it sounded like an order that San wouldn't be able to ignore. With a quiet string of whimpers came strings of cum, hitting Seonghwa's torso but mostly their hands. It had been so long since he had done it, even longer since with someone by his side, that it took a huge toll on him, nearly checking out for a second. 

Luckily, Seonghwa grounded him by licking him from his hand, instantly grimacing: "Yours is weird too." 

"C'mon- Hey!" San protested as soon as the dragon wiped a cum-dirty finger over his cheek. Seonghwa loudly laughed, almost falling backward when he projected his head back in order to react to his own actions. San didn't let it happen, reacting quickly enough to pull him back by the waist. "You're so silly." 

"But I'm yours." San blinked, simultaneously cringing but heart hammering nevertheless. 

"And you're mine." 

D-503


	7. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning on disappearing for so long but oh well! I hope it's enough to satisfy yall for now eheh <3

“You’ve gotten much better at this!” Seonghwa grinned from ear to ear as he looked at his reflection on a hand mirror, admiring the french braid San had just completed on the right side of his head. “It’s perfect.”

“Let’s see if I can do the left one as good.” San snickered, not wasting any time to start it. He’d found that braiding hair was relaxing. Or maybe it was relaxing because Seonghwa always hummed the notes of a random song. That day was Notice Me by Role Model. 

It snowed heavily. From the windows, the building across the street couldn’t be seen. Despite the cold night, the central heating made it possible for them to walk around in shirts. And yet Seonghwa shivered from time to time. 

“Ouch! You’re going to make me bald!” Seonghwa sat between San’s knees, eyes glued on the TV that ran a random reality show in low volume. Sometimes Seonghwa asked San for his hair to be braided after showering, the dried curls were stunning. 

“I’m sorry, Hwa! I’ll be more careful.” San giggled before placing a kiss on the top of Seonghwa’s head, obtaining a grunt as a sort of response. 

A string of silence scratched between them before Seonghwa shifted, legs beginning to feel numb. He was looking at the TV but frankly, what was going on in his mind was far from it. It had been a few days since they jerked each other off together and that’s all he could think about. He was so damn curious about other similar activities but he figured they could take it slow and let things happen. Even if recalling how damn affected San that night was enough to make his dick jump in his pants.

“So… What do people in love do? I want to make a list and fulfill it!” 

“There’s a lot, actually.” San paused, focusing on grabbing the right amount of hair. “Going on dates, for walks, going on trips, hanging out… literally anything that counts as spending time together.” 

“Oh! I thought there were special things only for couples?”

“I mean- yeah there’s a number of things you wouldn’t do with your friends, like the dates, for example. You wouldn’t take a friend to an expensive restaurant just because. And… the things we did the other day… that’s also exclusive.” 

“So the more expensive the more special?”

“No! Yes, but not really?”

“You’re not making sense, Sannie.” Seonghwa giggled at San’s sudden ramble of words. “Okay, I got it. You mean that expensive things are reserved to someone you love because they’re expensive and less easy to obtain but small things can be equally special, more even. Is that it?”

“Yeah, thank you!” 

“We have never done anything expensive together but we have gone to picnics, night walks before it got colder…”

“What about the _gayageum_? That made my wallet weep.”

“That doesn’t count, _I_ bought it!”

“With my money?”

“Gifts only count when they’re a surprise!”

“Fine!” With a huff, San continued the task at hand. For a moment, he got confused and almost messed up the braid, as he thought of their past behavior: from cooking together to sharing hobbies, they have checked off a considerable part of the “couple things to do” non-existent list. “If you think about it, we have done a lot that could be considered as couple things.” 

“Oh.” Seonghwa let out a disappointed sound, the following silence gloomy. “You’re right, we did. But… Is it bad that I feel sad that they weren’t done as a couple? It really doesn’t matter, right? Do they mean the same? Do they?”

“Seonghwa…” Stopping and strategically placing the strands of hair separated between fingers of the same hand, San used the free one to caress Seonghwa’s face. The position was awkward but Seonghwa still leaned into the touch. 

San had never thought of things like that. Did everything mean less if they weren’t official? Why did that matter anyway? San never cared for labels, why would that be important right now? Their feelings for each other were always so obvious, Seonghwa had never held back in anything, even less then, so, again, did it matter? At all? Maybe it did just a tiny bit, but only for San.

Allowing himself to feel had always been hard. Without any hard confirmation that everything between them was real, San suppressed most of himself, forbidding his soul of perceiving what was there to be perceived and of feeling what was there to be felt. With verbal and physical confirmations, something in San’s heart finally was set free and everything with Seonghwa finally made sense, felt right, and was everything San needed and desired for. After the words, San could finally feel. 

“Maybe they will have more meaning now.” San resumed the braid, unsure of his words. Everything was still too fresh. “We can still do everything all over again. Like a real couple- Don’t move!” Seonghwa tried to turn his head at San, almost discomposing the braid. “We can do everything together again, where do you want to start?”

“We could… Now I don’t know! There’s a lot I want to do!”

“We have a lot of time…” San trailed off, not believing in his words and relieved Seonghwa wasn’t looking at him.

“Yeah but… maybe I really do need to make the list.” They laughed. One more twist and the braid was done, looking a bit wonkier than the first one but nevertheless beautiful on Seonghwa. “Oh, you’re done? Let me see how they look!” 

Jumping from the floor straight to the full body mirror in the hallway, he yelled; “They’re perfect, Sannie!” Before coming back to snuggle next to San on the couch. They laid, as usual, Seonghwa between San’s legs, head on his chest, San’s arm around him. The volume of the TV was raised but it still wasn’t getting any attention from them. Whilst Seonghwa felt tiredness consume his body, San noticed how cold his skin was.

It didn’t even take five minutes for Seonghwa to start shivering, under a blanket.

“Is it not possible for you to have a cold?” San questioned before grabbing another blanket from a chair nearby and covering them as Seonghwa scooted closer and tucked it beneath his legs. “You’re freezing!”

“I’m above your human afflictions.” San snorted at that. “It’s been very cold for the past few days. Even wrapped around your thickest blanket my teeth still chatter!” 

“That’s not normal Seonghwa.... that’s why I’m worried. Maybe it really is a cold.”

“And not only that, but I’ve been also tired all day. I even skipped today’s class and- Oh! I have been meaning to show you this Instagram page! I love this cat, it’s the cutest!”

And like that the conversation drifted onto other shores, as Seonghwa showed picture after picture of that random internet cat he’d found adorable.

San dwelled on it for a few more moments, a bad feeling hovering over his head until the seventh cat photo distracted him enough. 

Like an omen.

“Look at this! Why is it so crowded? Go home, humans!”

“There, there! We can go to another cafe.” San pushed Seonghwa off the scene, his irritative outburst having attracted the commotion at the door. “There’s another one nearby and then we can drink and stroll around for a bit.” 

“But it’s cold! I wanted to sit down somewhere cozy…” 

“Then we will sit, I’m sure this one won’t be as busy.”

As predicted, the alternative option was way less crowded. Although it wasn’t as trendy or aesthetic, the drinks were just as delicious. The warmth inside the place greeted them with a whiplash, awakening Seonghwa from his unknown drowsiness. As told, Seonghwa sat down in a corner while San ordered their drinks, observing his back as he did so. From the corner of the eye, someone, or something, caught his attention but when he looked in its direction, the table was empty, as it was when Seonghwa walked past it. Or was it? 

“Are you okay?”

“Huh?” Seonghwa snapped out of his thoughts when San sat down in front of him, handing him his cappuccino carefully. “Oh, yeah. I just thought I saw something but it must be my mind making up things.”

Normally that wouldn’t worry San but knowing what he knew then, that scared him. Just a little. 

“Are you sure? What was it?”

“It was nothing...? I just thought I saw something at that table over there but when I took a second look at it nothing was there. I was just wondering if someone had been sitting there when I passed by but I can’t tell…” Seonghwa pulled his cup closer, wrapping his hands around its warmth. “Oh, look how cute this latte art is!” 

As Seonghwa snapped a quick picture of it, before complaining how dark it turned out, San dwelled a few more moments on it. Maybe he was worrying too much.

Perhaps. 

“These are better than the ones I do at home.” 

Seonghwa carefully sipped the cup and still contorted every muscle of his face in pain and shock. San could only laugh, he did that stunt every time, in and out of home.

“You made a whole mess.” San tutted as he grabbed a few napkins to wipe the table where the coffee was spilled. 

“Shut up, it’s scalding.” 

“It’s always scalding though.”

“You’re just teaming up to mock me…”

“What!” San reached higher decibels with that laughing fit, so amused by the constant banter Seonghwa brought up. “Me and the cappuccino?!” And when Seonghwa nodded frantically, San let loose once more.

“Stop laughing, people are looking at us!”

“Okay, okay…” Clearing his throat, San adjusted his position on the chair after side-eyeing the other customers that didn’t seem bothered but he didn’t want to attract attention either way. “You should steer it a bit.”

“I’m gonna destroy the design.”

“You were going to drink it anyway, does it really matter?” Seonghwa grabbed the spoon San handed to him, pouting as he slowly stirred his coffee, not wanting for it to spill again. “And with the time this whole tantrum took, it’s probably good to drink right now. Actually, no, don’t listen to me because if you do and it’s still too hot you’re just going to blame me all over again.”

Seonghwa gasped at the accusation, his trademark offended expression coming to reality. San ignored it, too used to it by then, while sipping from his own cup. 

“Good?” Seonghwa asked.

“Very. Just drink it.”

Seonghwa frowned slightly before trying again, that time coming out unscathed. 

“Good?” San asked.

“Yes! But it’s not better than the ones we make at home.”

“Then next time we can stay in?”

“No! Who said that! Always jumping to conclusions…” Seonghwa sipped his coffee again after rolling his eyes, even if he knew San was just teasing. “We’re on a date here.”

“Yeah but if we do it at home, together, wouldn’t it count as a date too?” 

“I guess… But it’s nice to be out and about too!”

“I can’t argue with that.”

“And why would you?” 

“I can’t lie.” San leaned over the table to talk lower, Seonghwa imitated. ”I took a liking in teasing you, especially since you’re so easy to rile up and honest with your reactions.” That made Seonghwa blush furiously, if it was from embarrassment or anger San couldn’t tell. Probably from both. “See? I didn’t even do anything and you’re already so red. It’s fun!”

“I’m glad you’re having fun.” Seonghwa crossed his arms and snarled bitterly before looking away. 

“Thank you!” The coffee stormed on their cups when Seonghwa hit his knee on the underside of the table trying to cross his legs. San lightly pushed his luck by stepping on the other’s sneaker. “Oh, you’re really going to tell me you don’t like it? 

Seonghwa responded with a heavy step on San’s boots, making the latter wincing. 

“Yes, I love it.” 

San half-smiled. 

Two could play the game, even if by their own rules.

By the time they decided to walk home, it was already dark and even snowing lightly. Seonghwa shivered as soon as he passed through the front door of the café, instantly struggling to pull up the jacket zipper and putting on the woolen beanie San insisted so much for him to bring.

“Should we run? No, I don’t want to run.” They walked in fast strides, Seonghwa clearly pulling San in a hurry by the arm. “It’s freezing! My nose will fall off!”

“It’s not that bad, here.” San unwrapped the blue muffler from his neck to give him.

Some snow had begun piling up on the uneven ground of the sidewalk and Seonghwa made sure to stomp on it as they made their way. San liked the snow and enjoyed the way it was snowing so lightly, just enough to leave small flakes of snow over their beanies and shoulders. It felt so relaxing, even if Seonghwa kept complaining and hastening them through the road. That winter San had another reason to love the snow, discovering it when a small flake landed on Seonghwa’s nose and his reaction was to shake his head, somewhat alarmed before realizing it was just snow.

"Oh! Seonghwa! There's a lot of snow there, let's build a snowman together, come on!" 

Despite the objections, they made their way to the park on the other side of the street, where the snow hadn't been scooped from the last days and accumulated. After a few instructions, Seonghwa had the critical mission of finding some sticks and tiny pebbles for the snowman's features whilst San made its body. 

The snow seemed to be thickening but San could work fast and when Seonghwa finally came back from his hunt, he was already molding the head. The street lamps flickered every so often, seemingly threatening to go out in any second. Every exhale escaping from their lips condensed instantly, every droplet defeated by the harshness of the weather. 

“What-! Seonghwa! Stop it!” San protested as soon as Seonghwa shoved snow inside his coat pockets.

“I’m helping you! This way you don’t have to bend over every time you want more snow.” They scuffled for a bit, Seonghwa attempting to fill the pocket more before successfully sneaking the snow into the other pocket instead. “San!! No! Let me down!”

But Seonghwa didn’t anticipate San lifting him and spinning them for one, two, three, and four rounds before even himself began feeling dizzy. Seonghwa squealed throughout the whole gist, kicking his feet and stumbling down when San let him go. 

The instability was the reason Seonghwa found himself sprawled on the snow, having lost his balance as he tried to retreat from another possible advance from the man in front of him. San didn’t fall but almost destroyed his progress with the snowman as he found support on it. 

“Fuck!” Seonghwa struggled to get up, he wasn’t wearing mittens, and touching the snow hurt his already freezing hands. Jolting and wiggling he tried getting up hands-free, however, the impact of his body made the cavity too deep. 

Maybe San was having too much fun, observing Seonghwa aimlessly contorting on the snow. The light was dim but San knew Seonghwa was red with anger. And from the cold of course.

“The snow isn’t that much!” 

“I can’t get up, help me right now!”

“Hm, I don’t know if I want to though.” Nevertheless, San got closer, so close, he stood over Seonghwa, feet on each side of his hips trapping his body on the ground.

“I could kick you in the balls right now if I wanted to.”

“But you wouldn’t. Actually, I don’t even want to test you on that.” San chuckled before lowering his body, extending his arms for Seonghwa to reach out. He helped him rise from the snow, Seonghwa now realized just how close they were. 

“Is this appropriate to do outside?”

“What do you mean?”

“Our positions?” Seonghwa nudged him on the hip to move off him but San didn’t budge, if anything, he only lowered himself, even more, blocking the light from the lamps. 

“You’re really starting to get the hang of our morals now, huh?” A speck of snow landed on Seonghwa’s forehead, making him flinch from the iciness. 

“It’s from spending too much time with you.”

“You would catch on with any other human, silly.” San smeared the thawed snow on the other’s skin and planted a quick kiss there. Before San could raise himself from Seonghwa, the latter grabbed him by the coat’s lapel for another kiss, that time mouth to mouth. That time, much slower and sentient. 

Yes, winter was magical, especially that year.

“Sorry about that…” They briskly made their way back to San’s car, the light rain hitting their coats. The restaurant San wanted to take Seonghwa to was full for the night and San felt genuinely bummed out. “I thought of this place because raising your taekwondo belt is a huge deal and you deserved it.”

“It’s not your fault!” Seonghwa hooked his arm with San, hurrying him. 

Finally, they entered inside the car, both letting out a tired sigh. But Seonghwa sounded way more affected by the little run. The radio rustled as soon as the car turned on but the volume was too low to be heard over the rain. 

“Let’s go to that hotpot place instead. How does that sound?” A beanie was thrown to the back from the passenger seat. Seonghwa had his hair down, the ends were somewhat damp and he regretted not tying it or at least tucking it inside his clothes before leaving the car. 

“Oh, yes!” San immediately nodded at the idea before putting his seatbelt on and increasing the volume of the radio. “Great idea! It’s not as fancy but it will do for tonight.”

“It didn’t have to be expensive though. And I saw a plate of whatever they were serving and I’m one hundred percent convinced that hotpot will be a whole lot better.”

San offered a smile and like that they left the restaurant parking lot. Seonghwa would complain his ass off but he also could be the sweetest. 

San appreciated him. He really did.

The place they were headed to wasn’t nearby but they had the time and San was also craving hotpot after being reminded of it. With every traffic light, the rain stopped hitting the windshield and the night turned clearer. 

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay…” Seonghwa changed radio stations, annoyed by the constant string of ads, and lowered its volume, before looking at the silent hand over his thigh. Himself too was silent, but actions spoke loud enough. “Since we cuddled for a bit before leaving, I’m not so tired.” 

“Good, baby.” 

The light squeeze must have been chaste but the pet name didn’t sound chaste at all. Or maybe it was because San rarely used those. Either way, Seonghwa’s throat ran dry, mind dwelling over the possibility of San moving his hand higher, just a few millimeters, fuck, he was too close. 

“Are you sure though? I can’t help but worry because you weren’t like this before. Nowadays, when I come home you’re so out of energy and we have to cuddle and I don’t mind but… it’s not normal. Should we try to figure out how to counteract it? I’m afraid one of these days, I come home to you passed ou- Seonghwa, why the hell are you hard?” 

As if on purpose, San missed a turn but he’d still take a little longer to realize. At that moment, he was much more focused on Seonghwa’s growing problem than their destination. 

“You caused it!” Seonghwa huffed before slapping San’s hand off his thigh. “I’m not going down alone.”

“Wait!” Not waiting, San found an eager hand palming his cock through his slacks. “Stop, I’m driving.”

“I don’t want to.” The reddish and orange lights from outside weren’t enough to fill the dark, and San barely took his eyes off the road, but he knew Seonghwa had the biggest grin on his face. He looked at San as he slowly applied pressure, agonizingly slow, enough to stir something inside him.

“Fuck.” San half-heartedly tried to remove Seonghwa’s grip over him, it proved to be a bad move since the latter grabbed him harder and San could only hiss, eyes wanting to move from the road but his common sense was still in charge. “Do you want us to have an accident?” 

“Traffic’s slow and you’re a good driver, aren’t you?”

“I could easily hit someone- You really have no mercy for me.” Yes, arguing with Seonghwa wasn’t easy, especially if he just unzipped your pants and had an experimental hand over you. And, as a matter of fact, San hated arguing. 

“I do! I’d have no mercy if I didn’t think of finishing what I started but I want to see where this goes.”

“You really chose the worst timing ever, baby.”

“See! You did it again!” San yelped, nearly stepping on the gas when Seonghwa squeezed him. “You brought this upon yourself.” 

San, hot and bothered by the persistent hand, finally realized two things as he waited for the green light to come: the first is that he missed his turn and was on the wrong lane to keep going forward; the second was that Seonghwa responded surprisingly to the pet name.

“Fine.”

“Fine, what?”

The green light lit up and San made the turn he was obliged to do, not answering, but Seonghwa didn’t retreat either. The car was silent for the few minutes San took to find the huge parking lot he knew there was in the vicinity. Seonghwa whipped his head around, distinguishing the huge supermarket lighting up the darkness of the night through the rain droplets sticking to the passenger’s window. The car was parked away from the building though, and also away from other cars. 

With rain beginning to knock on the roof of the car again, still, the same light drops setting the minuscule streams downwards the windows and windshield through, in a clear night, could be seen thousands of lights from a very awake Seoul. 

Perhaps San should be wary of their surroundings but the closest car was five spots away. Seonghwa had a hand inside his pants. The turned-off radio and AC and the thick silence that followed lingered between them, threatening to snap at any moment. 

That night, not much could be seen, and, frankly, neither cared.

“Sannie…” 

What they wanted to see could be felt with their touch and Seonghwa was one step ahead.

“Come closer, baby.”

Seonghwa did, leaning over the gear stick, finding support on the hand over San, a hitched hiss sounding between them. Waiting, he halted, letting San reach forward and cup his face, hand slightly trembling but warm, before finally laying his lips where they belonged. 

From there it was only a matter of time until the car was filled with exasperated sounds. Seonghwa forgot about his venture and San started his own, finding Seonghwa already impossibly hard. They both shifted in their seats while the kiss escalated, palms turning sweaty as they found ways inside their clothes, hearts shooting up in adrenaline. 

A loud pop marked their separation.

The drool going down Seonghwa’s chin must have dripped down the leather but none could be so sure, it was too dark even to read each other’s expressions. But judging from their heavy exhales, they both wanted more. They _needed_ more. 

“T-Touch me more… maybe?”

“At home?”

“We’re too far from home. I don’t wanna wait.”

San smooched Seonghwa’s lips before releasing him from his grip and the latter only watched as he undid the seatbelt and relied on his flexibility to switch to the back.

“Well?” Seonghwa snapped out of his thoughts at that and hastily slipped into the back seats, scrambling for space but wasting no time towering over San. He’d learn quickly how difficult it was to maneuver inside a car but it wasn’t like he gave up. “Oh, this won’t work.”

“It will!! Don’t underestimate me!” 

"Who knew you’d be so worked up over a pet name?” Seonghwa grunted in a feeble attempt of hiding his embarrassment while reaching for San’s crotch, pulling down his underwear. San opened his legs for Seonghwa to position himself between them but he had another idea, that was evident when he tugged San’s pullover and blindly unbuttoned his dress shirt. “Aren’t we bold today?”

“Shut up! This is how I will be after I master the arts of pleasure.” San laughed at the expression. “Stop laughing, I want to suck your dick.”

“You can go for it, it’s literally out and about.”

“Oh my god, you’re ruining the mood!” Seonghwa whined as he slapped the other’s chest, which ripped another laughter from San. 

Before he could let out another complaint, San grabbed him by the collar of his trenchcoat, yanking him forward, the darkness nearly making them bump heads. Seonghwa’s breath hitched at the sudden shift in the air, his eyes were wide but he couldn’t grasp how much lust swam on San’s ones. 

“Take off of your coat.” Seonghwa struggled but San didn’t help. The temperature inside the car seemed to have dropped a dozen degrees. “Should I have you fully undressed? What if someone saw you, right? I don’t know, you’re screaming so much, it seems like you want to attract attention.” Seonghwa was fury red but stayed silent. “Your pants next.”

So much for being bold. 

The discarded pieces of clothing were thrown to the front, and as much as Seonghwa wanted to resume his intentions, he felt like he should wait for San to say something. Or do something. He wasn’t sure of what was going on but he’d rather let San decide. 

The latter took the opportunity to fold the front seats and push the back seat backward in search of all the space they could get, his car wasn’t exactly the biggest. Seonghwa watched him move around, instantly shifting to the center to make sure he wouldn’t slip from the seat. His head was already a bit floaty and the darkness inside the car wasn’t making things easier for him. 

“What are you waiting for, baby? Weren’t you going to suck my dick?” Seonghwa exhaled heavily, finding himself so affected by the other’s low voice and, _fuck_ , the pet name. Their hands found each other in the dark. San slowly pulled Seonghwa’s to his neck, downwards, so slow, so fucking slow, down his chest and torso until they reached the last button left to undo.

San was burning, when Seonghwa’s hand passed close to his heart, it beat so vigorously, nervously waiting for what was coming. The button was taken care of after San let go of the other’s hand and Seonghwa wished he could see San well, he must have had looked so fucking hot, dress shirt opened and cock free from his pants. To make matters worse, San had slicked his hair back for the occasion and if he already looked insanely good in the outfit without hair gel, with it he should have looked like a wet dream. And if Seonghwa had had any, they would be exactly like that. 

Seonghwa somehow guessed correctly where San’s mouth was and went for a hungry kiss fueled by his hungry mind. San immediately latched his hands on his waist, squeezing it and bringing Seonghwa even closer as if he was outside the car and not nearly in his lap if the space permitted. 

Their mouths produced a complementary sound to the hitting rain, saliva audibly proving just how many emotions ran inside the cramped space. Seonghwa’s shaky breaths only aided to the effect. And if he moaned when San shoved his tongue inside his mouth, only the latter would know.

San wasn’t purposely ignoring Seonghwa’s dick but it sure seemed like it, as he roamed his hands over the expanse of his back, settling around his neck. The kiss was already breathtaking enough, but it got unbearably hot when San sucked on Seonghwa’s tongue, sending electrifying shivers all over his body. Seonghwa whimpered and slightly jerked, only making San more eager to keep doing it. He wanted to place his hands somewhere but he forgot his initial landing area and just dropped them to the leather of the seats, nearly losing his core strength too, San having his way with his tongue was too mind fogging for him to do anything else. San must have noticed Seonghwa’s body slowly slumping because his hands traveled from his neck to his sides, pulling him closer even, as if they weren’t already deep inside each other’s personal spaces. 

Minds only began to clear just a bit when San finally let the other’s tongue free to trail hasty kisses all over his wanting neck. Seonghwa could burst into flames right there by how hot his whole body burned, how rabid his heart beat, nearly jumping out of its ribcage. His hands still trembled too much for him to even try to do anything. It was too dark to see anything but his eyes were still closed, craning his neck to give San the whole expanse of his neck to kiss and devour. 

“P-Please…” San finally let Seonghwa take a deep breath but only after nibbling on his ear, restless dick twitching over it. Another mumbled word escaped from the dragon's mouth but San didn't understand it. 

"What, baby?" Seonghwa shook his head before dropping it on the other's chest for a second. His body felt like jelly but he was stronger. 

The car shook slightly as Seonghwa shuffled and scrambled to position himself between San’s legs, awkwardly settling for a not so comfortable position but it would have to do and San adjusted himself to what he thought would be easier for Seonghwa. With a bent leg over the seat and the other dangling to the floor, Seonghwa scooted closer before repeating what he had said before. 

“Can you tie my hair please?”

“Of course.” San took the elastic Seonghwa handed him and grabbed his hair, struggling to collect every strand on his grip and needing to go back multiple times. Maybe his hands were also jittery. “Are you sure you want to do this? It’s your first time.”

“Yes, just help me.” Seonghwa slowly whispered as San finally pulled the hair he could grasp through the tie, one, two, and three times and made a lousy bun. “Thank you, Sannie.”

Finally, Seonghwa lowered his body and grabbed San’s almost reluctantly before reaching for the tip with his mouth, pressing his lips over it and letting his mind absorb how it felt. He hadn’t imagined that sensation and even if it did he probably wouldn’t be able to pinpoint how soft and simultaneously hard it would feel on his mouth. 

Videos and descriptions found on the internet, and of course, a little bit of intuition, made Seonghwa lick and distribute small kisses over it, before trying his way a little further, just suckling and letting his tongue wet its length. He wanted to look up but even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to discern what San’s expression was, which annoyed him just slightly. 

“Seonghwa, you’re doing great baby.” As if that thought has been sent to his mind, San encouraged him, finding his hair to push away from his face, letting his hand rest over the bun. There was something about that hand that got Seonghwa even more worked up but he couldn’t exactly identify it clearly. His hair wasn’t even being pulled, really, San wasn’t making any strength, his hand just laid there but it made Seonghwa whimper against his cock. San found that he also liked that. “Be careful with your teeth too.” 

With a small incoherent garble, Seonghwa kept his attention on him and the way he felt the cock grow in his mouth. He was sure it did, or maybe it was his mind playing tricks. He couldn’t be able to know, it was his first cock sucking experience but, either way, his mouth got San panting and lowly moaning and that was all that mattered for the dragon. 

Maybe he should have had some decency, what was a God doing between a human’s legs? It should be the other way around! Yes, the human doing its' serving and inferior job for the God that's how things should be. But dignity and pride were the last things in Seonghwa's mind, especially with San's cock on his mouth. 

"You want to try taking it all?" Seonghwa offered a slight nod before taking a deep breath and pushing further until he could, finding himself gagging too soon. “Do it slowly. You have to relax or it won’t work.”

A second attempt was made, this time even slower but Seonghwa still couldn’t take San in his entirety, and honestly it pissed him off but his mind was too foggy to even whine about it. So he just released a bothered exhale through the nose and pulled away.

“Don’t rush it. You’re doing so good.” Seonghwa let out a disappointed whine before mouthing him once more, not accepting defeat. After a few more vicious swirls of the tongue over its length and tip, leaving San almost breathless, the dragon slowly took him in again, this time relaxing enough that he reached deeper. 

“Holy shit.” San didn’t expect him to try again, which explained his additional tone of surprise mixed with the ragged curse. It had been so long, _too_ long since he got that amount and kind of attention and, God, he was so fucking overwhelmed in the best way possible. Not wanting to hurt Seonghwa, the immense urge to thrust himself into the other was fought and he ended up hurting himself as he attempted to throw his head back but just hit the window with enough strength to rip a pained groan out of his lips. 

Unsure of what happened, Seonghwa instantly pulled back, worried and panting over the thud of the other’s head against the glass but also the uncharacteristic sound. 

“What happened?”

“I hit my head on the window.” San chuckled, hiding his embarrassment in the darkness and voice. But when Seonghwa cackled was when he felt his cheeks getting warmer. And still, his laugh was contagious and the car broke out in loud laughter, ones that bounced off the walls of the car and lasted for too long. 

It only ended when Seonghwa choked and coughed, throat feeling raspy even if only he had San’s cock shoved in his mouth for mere seconds.

“You okay?” Unlike Seonghwa’s, San’s question was filled with only amusement. 

“Yeah, yeah! Let me just keep goin-”

“No, no need.”

“What do you mean? Was it bad?”

“No! But car sex is supposed to be quick if we don’t want to get caught. You can suck me off later.”

“Okay!” That possibility was enough for Seonghwa to cheer up once more. Leaving San’s space, he threw his torso to the front, to fetch something from the glove compartment. “Not saying I foreshadowed this moment but I took the liberty of making us prepared for any… eventuality.”

Something was projected onto San’s lap, which judging by the context and size of the bottle, was lube. 

“I can’t believe it…” San chuckled as he shifted and opened the cap to be sure of the contents.

“I even bought this by myself!” The question of where and how Seonghwa found lube remained unanswered.

“With my money.”

“No, I bought it!”

“With-”

“Doesn’t matter, Sannie.” Being shushed, San rolled his eyes despite not being seen. “Now, will you fuck me or not? I have waited long enough.” Again did the car shake as Seonghwa put himself in his knees, ass facing San, the latter assumed. 

“You’re really on your fours for this? No, come on, lay your back for me.” 

“Why does it matter?”

“It’s more comfortable for you! You’re always complaining even when I’m looking out for you.” Seonghwa did as he was told, grunting at the observation. “To be honest, this isn’t even a good idea. I barely can’t see, it’s your first time and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I trust you, just do it.” 

The silence that followed startled Seonghwa out of his hastiness. 

“W-Why are you quiet all of sudden? Get to it.” San scoffed but complied. 

Seonghwa observed San’s silhouette moving closer, sitting by his side and lowering his body to grab him by the chin and shove his tongue in his mouth for brief seconds. San spurred some lube over the tip of his fingers, warming them up silently as Seonghwa tried hard, so hard, to see what he was doing. His snoopy nature wasn't in spite of nervousness more like genuine curiosity of what was going to happen next.

"I'll be gentle, okay?" His voice was lower than earlier and Seonghwa couldn't help but shiver out of excitement, a rush of adrenaline making his dick jolt.

A finger coated with room temperature lube touched him, and really, Seonghwa attempted to hold back the flinch but it felt too foreign. For a moment, he reconsidered but his worries melted as San lowered his body once more to kiss his shoulder all the way up to this jaw. His mouth distracted him from his sudden concern and it worked wonders when he finally slithered his other hand under Seonghwa's neck. holding his face higher so they could kiss at a better angle.

The satisfied sigh from the kiss matched the moment San finally inserted the tip of his index inside him making him immediately squirm, finding it incredibly weird. And unpleasant. 

Was sex like that? Was it going to be that uncomfortable every time? Then why did it seem like the center of everyone's lives? San must have noticed Seonghwa tense in his hold because he shoved his tongue inside his mouth again and that was when all his thawed worries began to melt until there was nothing but San in Seonghwa.

Seonghwa let out some mewls and whimpers, so sensitive all of sudden to every little touch. San was already adding another one when he realized and that's when it really hurt and he couldn't contain a pained groan.

"S-San..."

"Yes?"

"Maybe... Maybe this isn't for me..." San immediately latched off him, worried about the sudden shift.

"Is it hurting a lot?"

"I don’t know if it's a lot but it's weird... It’s not feeling good... Is it always like this?"

"Baby, no. It's normal to be uncomfortable at first but the pain will slowly pass and you will only feel good. If you don't want to do it we can stop right now."

Seonghwa kept his mouth shut, a million thoughts running inside his head. He wanted San, he wanted him so badly. But it hurt. But he also didn't want to disappoint San.

Yeah, he should be good. 

"You want to stop, baby?" The question repeatedly echoed in the car.

"No... I don't want to disappoint..."

"What? No, you're not disappointing!” San found his hands and almost cringed as he forgot his own were lubed up. Seonghwa didn’t seem to mind. “Look, Seonghwa, I told you the other time that we will only do this if you want. This is not about me, it's about you and what you feel comfortable with." San wanted to turn on the lights to have a serious conversation but he didn't want to attract attention to their car so he instructed Seonghwa to sit. 

"It's about us... I care for your... For you." 

"Me too, and that's why I'm asking you if we should stop and try it in another time when you're feeling more up for it."

"Is it... Is it really going to feel better?"

"Yeah, I promise you it will feel good. I’ll make sure you feel absolutely amazing. You just need to trust me."

"I trust you… Let’s do it."

"Are you sure?"

Seonghwa nodded and weakly hummed affirmatively.

"Give me a clear answer, baby." Seonghwa found the way San kept making sure and squeezing his hands so endearing. His heart beat faster, being loved felt so good.

"I want to do it. Just kiss me again, I think it will be easier for me." 

"Will do."

The previous positions were taken again. San fetched the lube and coated his fingers with even more before inserting one with ease, a whimper leaving Seonghwa at the now expected weird sensation. Knowing the second one brought more affliction, the dragon craned his neck to reach for San to which the latter acceded and finally brought him some sort of relief from the whole ordeal. 

Fighting the urge to tap out, Seonghwa took command of the kiss, shifting into a frantic pace in mere milliseconds. The opportunity to work faster was taken and it got Seonghwa morphing his gasps and groans to spaced whimpers and full-on moans.

"You're so loud for me, baby." Seonghwa moaned in response in lack of something more intelligent to respond.

Not only did his voice raise in a few decibels, but the way his legs tried to close, toes curled and hands trembled over San's skin were also clear signs of how the pain was drowned by the pleasure San was providing him. 

At the third finger, there was just a minuscule whimper before the string of mellow moans resumed bouncing off Seonghwa's thirsty lips.

San loved the sounds truly but he worried about their surroundings. He also wasn't trying to find Seonghwa's sweet spot, too focused on stretching him enough, but he knew he hit it when Seonghwa jolted from the seat, nearly sitting from the shock and a shot of pleasure that ran through the length of his spine. 

"Oh, f-fuck… San, Sannie, please…" 

Too curious to witness the reaction again, San repeated his movements, dragging his fingers so agonizingly slowly over his spot that Seonghwa's voice reached a new level of volume that had yet to be unlocked, thrashing around for one or two seconds. 

That definitely could be heard outside. And it almost sobered San. 

“You like that, baby?”

“It’s- It’s so good, keep going.”

“I will.” The fingers left him empty to which Seonghwa contained a snarl. He needed it so badly. 

To confuse Seonghwa even more, San hovered over the middle space between the front seats, and then the radio surrounded them, the news retelling for the third time a tragic event of the day. San switched the channel a few times, before clicking his tongue and launching himself further into the front to grasp the CDs he had there. Anything would do, they were too horny to care anyway and it was just a way to muffle their sounds. The faint and murky orangish street light a couple meters away from the car poorly illuminated San’s CDs and he grabbed one that he thought was his indie playlist.  
It was. The first notes of the guitar proved it. 

“Why…”

“Someone inside this car can’t keep their noise down so this will tone it down. Unless you start screaming.” Seonghwa opened his mouth but closed, slapping San in his shoulder as he came closer once more.

“Aren’t you cocky as shit!”

“I’m not cocky whatsoever, you did it literally minutes ago.”

“Shut up, now I’m not gonna make any sound just because of that. You just lost moaning privileges.”

“It’s fine, I’ll get them back in a few." Seonghwa groaned something under his breath before San patted him for him to shift his body as San asked him to. 

They ended up spooning, San slithered an arm under Seonghwa's armpit and rested his palm over his sides, lightly caging Seonghwa in his embrace. The other hand momentarily gave his dick some attention, a few pumps perhaps to stall or perhaps because he was nervous. Yes, there was no denying it. 

Much to his surprise, Seonghwa let out a deep breath, perking his butt at San’s hardened cock, making him wince. He needed to fuck Seonghwa so bad, both were so fucking desperate for each other.  
“If it’s too much, you have to tell me.” 

San palmed the car seat trying to locate the lube, accidentally knocking it over to the floor. He groaned a curse before Seonghwa motioned to be released so he could grab the bottle since he was closer to the edge of the seat. Soon, they came back to the previous positions. 

“It’s gonna be alright, just do it.”

The noise of the cap popping off was followed by a frail exhale behind him, wet sounds accompanying San’s hand as he gave a few tugs to his cock. Fuck, he was so fucking nervous but so excited to finally do it. They were so close, maybe Seonghwa could hear how hard his heart beat. 

Truth was, Seonghwa was more conscious of his own heart to sense the nervousness of the other. The rain fell dreadfully, drowning the music despite it sounding around the car. 

“Sorry…” San whispered an apology after Seonghwa flinched due to the coldness of the lube over his hole. Lube was never too much, especially if it was their first time. 

Fuck, it was their first time. 

"Can I…" 

"Yes." 

Trying to not dwell much on it, San occupied his mind with how soft Seonghwa’s skin felt on his lips as he planted small kisses over the reachable expanse of his back. The dragon began rubbing his ass over the other again, trying to somehow get San moving. He didn’t need to do much before the other lined himself and slowly thrust inside, hand leaving his dick and ducking under Seonghwa’s leg. 

From Seonghwa, a shocked gasp was released. San’s was bigger than his three fingers and he felt the cock spearing him open. It hurt but it somehow was dulled. For a moment he forgot to breathe and the little moans San exhaled directly onto his neck just made him even more sensitive. 

“S-Sannie…” His body was scorching hot, his mind clouded with the new foreign feeling of San inside him. And he felt even less conscious when San gripped his side harder to brace himself and finally, fuck, he bottomed down. 

The way Seonghwa slurred his name out as he got fucked made his skin crawl.

Saying his head wasn’t spinning with how tight Seonghwa was around his dick would be a complete lie, he hadn’t fucked in so long and Seonghwa was just absolute heaven. In all senses. He had to restrain himself to not start fucking into him right then.

“Are you okay, baby? Feeling alright?”

“I’m so full… Sannie, oh my god.” Seonghwa craned his neck to face San better, the latter seizing the opportunity to kiss him, almost chaste. 

“Feels good?”

“I… please, fuck me good?” San chuckled before humming against his neck and moving his hips slowly, not wanting to hurt Seonghwa but enough to make him shiver in his hold. 

Truth be told, San couldn't recall ever having sex spooning and the number of limbs and crowded space of the backseat of his old car made it hard. But San wouldn’t change it for anything else. He was sure Seonghwa thought the same by the way he hooked his moans to the lazy rhythm of the thrusts. His bratty tendency would dissolve in almost no time, San only needed to push him lightly and Seonghwa would crumble like a hopeless house of cards. 

San couldn’t get enough of it. 

Maybe it was that thought that got him unconsciously picking up the speed and making Seonghwa whimper and moan and thrash more. 

"Oh my god…" The rain hit harder than ever, muffling even the radio and making San hyper-focused on how high the voice of the other reached with every movement of hips. He wished he could see his face, his flushed red face, lips needing attention, and eyes oozing want and lust. 

The car calmed down when San slowed his thrusts, panting like crazy and feeling already out of breath. He wasn't in top shape that's for sure but Seonghwa didn’t have to know that. Instead, he rocked his hips slowly and searched for the other’s mouth to devour. 

Seonghwa twisted his back enough to place a hand over San's face, also shifting closer and making the kiss easier for both. The arm around his waist, palm resting heavily over his side, holding Seonghwa impossibly close to him was enough to send the dragon’s head spiraling and every time his waist was squeezed by it, tingles all over his spine.

San was everything, he already knew, but right then, as he was held and loved, Seonghwa _knew_. 

Neck beginning to ache, Seonghwa broke the hungry kiss, dropping his head on the seat, eyes opening but seeing nothing but darkness, mind mushy and empty. 

There was just San everywhere.

Words wanted to escape from his mouth, coherent strings of them, but it was hard. It was hard to even form thoughts at that point. And San was still fucking into him so languidly but his mouth planted wet kisses over his neck and shoulders, biting and nibbling the skin, it hurt but it felt good.

So fucking good. 

Every time San marked his skin, the low pain shot fire inside his body, and Seonghwa was becoming vicious. San had to be aware of how quickly his heart throbbed inside his ribcage.

“Baby, how are you feeling?”

“San… I-I love you…” The fragile and tender tone ripped a chuckled out of San. As an immediate response, he squeezed his waist affectionately, pecking his neck a few times before murmuring an answer, breath tickling Seonghwa and making him squirm in search for more contact.

“I love you too, baby.”

“Can you- maybe, go a little faster?”

“Aww, want to cum?” Seonghwa nodded however San couldn’t see at all. The accompanying whimper was enough of confirmation though. “You’re adorable, baby.”

Seonghwa whimpered again, rocking his hips with more strength against the other, failing fully in hiding just how much he loved being praised and showered with compliments. San complied, unable to tease for much longer, not when Seonghwa kept tightening around his cock and he hadn’t done it so long. Still, it was fun to tease him. 

Picking up his pace, he thrust faster, instantly ripping off the other a broken string of moans that sounded like the greatest melody his eardrums could ever grasp. 

The hand around Seonghwa’s leg wandered down around his cock instead, jerking him off and making him even higher with lust. Fuck, he felt so dizzy and he didn’t even what to do with his arms. 

“S-Sannie, fuck! Please… harder, I want to-!”

And when San released his waist to put his other arm under his head, relieving Seonghwa from the awkward position that would make his neck ache the following day, that was when his mind really got foggy. Unconsciously, he snuggled his face into the crook of his arm, moans and obscene sounds suppressed. Yet what surprised San was the other’s teeth gripping his skin, held gradually stronger and making San gasp in pain. 

He took that as a good sign (and it was) and quickened his thrusts, fingers clutching harder on Seonghwa’s shoulder, nails digging into the skin. By millimeters Seonghwa wasn’t repeatedly hitting the door with his head, San didn’t realize how close they were to it and he had lost himself in pleasure. Never been really vocal in bed, hearing his own voice faltering in husky growls and affected moans startled San. Was Seonghwa that good?

“How’s that? Fast enough, baby?”

He swore he had never felt that horny. Or that good for that matter. It could be just the lack of action talking but San couldn’t care less. He’d ride that feeling with Seonghwa until it was over. 

“S-San! Yes, like that!” 

The rain had stopped completely at that point, making it easier to discern every little sound and scent inside the car, the radio still going on with a song San couldn’t even identify anymore. Not that he wanted either, not when he had hit Seonghwa in his sweet spot, making him tremble like a leaf, the moans hoarse and silent, and at that point, San didn’t know if his arm was wet with just saliva or if Seonghwa was crying too. 

Maintaining the rhythm he had built, he kept aiming for the other’s spot, hand pumping him faster and faster and faster until Seonghwa let out a loud sob and came all over the San’s hand with continuous teary cries as San kept fucking him into him and jerking him off until the orgasm wore off. 

Slightly overstimulated, Seonghwa let San build up his own pleasure as he thrust into him harder and more frantically than before, startling him. Not so long after, San exited Seonghwa and furiously jerked himself to completion, unintentionally smearing the other’s cum all over his cock and no other thought was needed for him to project cum over Seonghwa’s ass, dangerously dripping down to the seats.

Finally, the car was only made of heavy breaths and panting, as both, San more, struggled to breathe, a hazy mind making it harder for him to come back to reality. 

“Let me… San.” Seonghwa’s voice broke his trance. He grabbed his free arm so that he could lick their cum off San’s hand, marking the moment San began sobering up and worrying about the car seats. 

“You like it so much?”

“No, you’re just too dirty.”

“Tissues.”

Seonghwa let San rise from the seat and grabbing some tissues from the compartment between the two front seats, wiping his ass before any accident happened. After adjusting the car seats back to their normal position, San helped Seonghwa up, the other instantly latching himself over him. 

“Are you okay, Hwa?” The hair rustling against his neck as he nodded was ticklish.

“Hmm, yeah… just tired. Hand me my clothes, please.” 

San did as he was told, himself fixing his own clothes and zipping his pants up. 

“Want help?”

“Yeah, can you turn on the light? I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” 

Aside from the normal wincing at the abrupt light, San let out an amused shriek before cackling loudly at how messed Seonghwa’s ponytail was. His hair was completely ruined.

“What! Stop laughing, why are you laughing!” Before San could fetch his phone to show Seonghwa his reflection, the latter gasped loudly before grabbing the arm he had bitten before. “Oh my god! I did this?”

His teeth were deeply marked into San’s forearm, purple blotches beginning to form. San could complain how sore it was but then he noticed.

“I’m so sorry, it looks so painful!”

The sharp canines engraved on him. 

Since only San could perceive Seonghwa’s inhuman features, having physical imprints of their existence was fucking hot. He couldn’t care less about how much time that would take to heal.

“Why are you not saying anything…” Seonghwa observed San’s blank expression for a few moments, before growing weary. “I won’t do it again, I promise.”

“No, don’t promise that.”

“Mark me as yours all over again.”

D-478

**Author's Note:**

> And soooooo a dragon is trapped inside a human body until the next blood moon! I wonder what will happen in the meantime hmmmmm :D
> 
> If you are enjoying it, don't hesitate to leave kudos and maybe a comment? Both give me the motivation to write so please feel free to do both <3
> 
> You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/meowhwa), [cc](https://curiouscat.me/lqseonghua) and if you want to support me here's my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/meowhwas)


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